Jniv.of  in.  LmW- 
53 

W/S'  THE 


BIBLE  CATECHIST 

AN  INSTRUCTION 


BIBLICAL  INTRODUCTION  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BY  THE 

Rev.  W.  H.  GILL,  D.D. 

Author  of  “  The  Temple  Opened  ” 


PHILADELPHIA 

PEESBYTEErAN  BOAED  OF  PUBLICATION 
AND  SABBATII-SCHOOL  WOEK 

No.  1334  Chestnut  Street 


COPYRIGHT,  1893,  BY 

THE  TRUSTEES  OF  THE 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION 
AND  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK. 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


Westcott  &  Thomson, 
Stereotypers  and  Electrotypers ,  Philada. 


PREFACE. 


vi 


This  little  work  is  on  the  plan  of  the  author’s  guide  to 
the  Book,  “The  Temple  Opened.”  and  is  an  instruction  in 
Biblical  introduction  for  the  young.  The  favor  with  which 
the  larger  work  has  been  received  by  the  clergy  and  the  laity 
alike,  led  the  author  to  believe  that  a  miniature  work  of  the 
same  character  might  prove  useful  as  an  aid  in  the  religious 
education  of  the  rising  generation.  In  this  judgment  the 
Board  of  Publication  has  concurred,  and  hence  the  issue 
of  the  Catechist  with  its  imprimatur. 

The  great  importance  of  putting  our  youth  in  actual  pos¬ 
session  of  such  instruction  as  is  herein  contained,  needs  no 
emphasis  at  the  hands  of  the  author.  This  is  conceded  by 
all ;  and  it  only  remains  therefore  with  parents  and  relig¬ 
ious  educators  in  general  to  see  that  what  is  so  essential  shall 
be  actually  accomplished. 

The  Catechist  has  been  prepared  with  reference  to  its  use 
in  the  Sunday-school,  both  by  the  teacher  in  the  class  and 
by  the  superintendent  in  general  Bible  drills.  Put  a  Cate¬ 
chist  in  the  hands  of  each  scholar,  and,  with  ordinary  dili¬ 
gence,  its  contents  may  be  mastered  in  about  a  year,  and 
thus  be  laid  a  solid  foundation  for  a  subsequent  and  intelli¬ 
gent  study  of  the  Book  of  books. 


3 


4 


PREFACE. 


Though  the  Catechist  is  published  by  the  Presbyterian 
Board,  it  can  be  safely  used  by  any  other  denomination,  as 
there  is  nothing  sectarian  taught  in  it.  It  contains  only 
facts  about  the  Bible  and  its  books  which  every  Christian 
should  know. 

The  author  has  in  preparation  a  Bible  Primer,  or  a  Cate¬ 
chism  in  Scripture  history,  which,  while  designed  immedi¬ 
ately  for  young  children  and  primary  classes,  will  be  found, 
he  hopes,  to  be  of  service  to  such  adult  persons  as  are 
not  familiar  with  the  truths  taught  therein. 

W.  H.  (4. 

Philadelphia,  1893. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST 


THE  BIBLE  AND  OTHER  SACRED  BOOKS. 

i.  What  is  the  Bible  ? 

The  book  sacred  to  Christians,  containing,  as  it  does,  the 
inspired  records  of  the  Christian  religion. 

2%  Why  is  this  book ,  sacred  to  Christians ,  called  the 
Bible? 

It  is  so  called  by  way  of  eminence,  because  it  is  the  best 
of  books.  The  word  bible  means  book ;  any  book  therefore 
is  a  bible,  but  the  book  sacred  to  Christians  is  called  the 
Bible,  because  it  is  the  Book  of  books. 

&  What  are  some  of  the  other  names  by  which  this  sacred 
volume  is  known  ? 

It  is  called  u  The  Word,”  “  The  Word  of  God,”  “The 
Scriptures,  ”  u  The  Holy  Scriptures,  ’  ’  and  ‘  ‘  Holy  W rit  ” — 
titles  which  indicate  its  source  and  nature,  and  the  rever¬ 
ence  due  to  the  book  as  such. 

4.  Is  the  Christian  s  Bible  the  only  book  in  the  world 
regarded  as  sacred  ? 

No ;  every  false  religion  has  its  own  bible  or  book,  which 
its  devotees  regard  as  sacred,  even  as  Christians  do.  theirs. 

5.  What  are  the  other  prominent  books  of  the  world 
which  are  regarded  as  sacred? 

The  Koran,  the  bible  of  the  Mohammedans ;  the  Zend- 
Avesta,  the  bible  of  the  Persians ;  the  Shasters  and  the 
Vedas,  the  sacred  books  of  India;  the  writings  of  Confu¬ 
cius  and  the  books  of  Buddha,  which  are  regarded  as 

5 


6 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


sacred  by  the  Chinese,  Japanese  and  other  Asiatics ;  and 
the  book  of  Mormon  in  our  own  country. 

6.  What  is  the  radical  difference  between  other  so-called 
sacred  books  and  our  Bible  ? 

Our  Bible  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is  there¬ 
fore  of  divine  origin  and  authority;  while  the  so-called 
sacred  books  of  other  religions  are  uninspired — simply  the 
product  of  the  minds  of  the  men  who  wrote  them — and  are 
therefore  in  themselves  destitute  of  any  divine  authority  or 
warrant.  Our  Bible  is  the  one  book  which  claims  God 
as  its  author,  unmixed  truth  for  its  contents  and  salvation 
for  its  end. 

7.  How  may  the  superiority  of  our  Bible  over  the  other 
so-called  sacred  books  of  the  world  be  shown  ? 

By  the  men  it  makes,  the  character  it  produces,  and  the 
civilization  it  develops.  Witness  in  these  respects  the  vast 
difference  between  those  people  and  countries  where  our 
Bible  is  supreme  and  those  where  the  other  so-called  sacred 
books  exercise  dominion.  Compare  Europe  with  Asia,  or 
North  America  with  South  America.  By  its  fruits  the 
Bible  is  known,  as  is  every  tree. 

8.  What  authority  do  Protestants  ascribe  to  the  Bible  ? 

The  supreme  authority  in  morals  and  religion,  in  Church 

and  in  State.  To  them  the  Bible,  and  the  Bible  alone,  is 
the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

9.  Why  do  Protestants  accord  to  the  Bible  this  supreme 
authority  ? 

Because  it  is  the  Word  of  God.  To  them,  in  and  through 
it,  God  speaks,  making  known  his  will ;  its  authority  there¬ 
fore  is  to  them  the  authority  of  God,  as  its  voice  to  them  is 
the  voice  of  God. 

THE  BIBLE  AS  A  BOOK. 

10.  What  is  peculiar  about  the  Bible  as  a  book  ? 

It  is  not  a  single  book  or  volume,  but  a  collection  of  vol- 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


7 


umes — a  library,  in  fact,  composed  of  sixty-six  volumes — 
embracing  almost  every  variety  of  literature — biography, 
history,  poetry,  law,  letters,  political  economy,  military 
annals,  morals  and  theology.  The  early  Christians  spoke 
of  the  various  parts  of  the  sacred  volume  as  ‘  ‘  The  Books,  ’  ’ 
and  it  was  not  till  the  thirteenth  century  that  the  whole 
came  to  be  called,  as  it  now  is,  ‘ 4  The  Bible.  ’  ’ 

11.  Were  the  hooks  of  the  Bible  written  at  one  time ,  or  at 
long  intervals  ;  by  one  person,  or  by  many  authors  ? 

They  were  not  written  at  one  time  nor  by  one  person,  like 
other  so-called  sacred  books,  but  are  the  product  of  at  least 
forty  different  authors  who  lived  at  periods  very  remote 
from  each  other,  the  length  of  time  embraced  in  their  com¬ 
position  being  about  sixteen  hundred  years. 

12.  How  does  the  Bible  compare  with  other  books  as  to 
age  ? 

If  we  except  the  literature  of  ancient  Egypt  and  Assyria, 
portions  of  which  are  being  uncovered  by  modern  explora¬ 
tions,  the  Bible  contains  in  the  books  of  Job  and  of  Moses, 
if  not  the  oldest,  certainly  among  the  most  ancient  extant 
literary  compositions  in  the  world. 

13.  Were  the  books  of  the  Bible  always  divided  into  chap¬ 
ters  and  verses  as  they  are  now  f 

No ;  such  division  is  of  comparatively  recent  date,  and  is 
wholly  without  inspired  authority  or  warrant ;  and,  while  in 
many  respects  exceedingly  useful,  as  it  not  infrequently 
obscures  the  sense  it  should  be  ignored  in  the  reading  and 
study  of  the  Word. 

H.  In  what  languages  were  the  books  of  the  Bible  origi¬ 
nally  written  f 

The  Old  Testament  books  were  originally  almost  wholly 
written  in  Hebrew ;  while  those  of  the  New  Testament 
were  entirely  in  Greek. 

15.  When  and  by  whom  were  the  books  of  the  Bible  first 
translated  into  English  ? 


8 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


By  Wyckliffe,  about  five  hundred  years  ago — one  hundred 
years  before  the  discovery  of  America,  and  before  the  inven¬ 
tion  of  printing.  The  first  printed  edition  of  the  Bible  in 
English  was  published  by  Tyndale  more  than  one  hundred 
years  later,  in  the  early  years  of  the  second  quarter  of  the 
sixteenth  century  (1526-32). 

16.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  version  of  the  Bible  in 
common  use  translated  into  English  f 

Between  the  years  1607  and  1611,  by  men  appointed  for 
the  purpose  by  James  I.  of  England ;  whence  it  is  com¬ 
monly  called  King  James’  Version. 

17.  Has  there  been  any  other  version  of  the  Bible  made 
since  that  of  King  James  f 

Yes;  there  is  what  is  known  as  the  Revised  Version, 
which  was  made  by  representative  biblical  scholars  of  Eng¬ 
land  and  America,  and  published,  the  New  Testament  in 
1880,  and  the  Old  Testament  five  years  later,  in  1885.  This 
version,  though  most  excellent  in  many  respects  and  of 
great  value  as  an  aid  to  the  meaning  of  the  sacred  text,  has 
not  become  a  favorite  with  the  common  people. 

HISTORIES  IN  THE  BIBLE. 

18.  What ,  in  a  word ,  is  the  great  subject  of  the  Bible  f 

Redemption,  the  divine  method  of  the  salvation  of  sinful 

man.  As  a  whole  the  sacred  volume  may  best  be  described 
as  a  History  (containing  the  inspired  records)  of  Redemption. 

19.  What  special  histories  are  embraced  in  this  Histoi'y 
of  Redemption  f 

The  history  of  the  whole  race  from  Adam  to  Abraham 
(universal  history)  during  a  period  of  two  thousand  years ; 
the  history  of  the  Jews,  the  descendants  of  Abraham, 
during  a  period  of  fifteen  hundred  years;  the  history  of 
the  Redeemer,  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  embra¬ 
cing  His  life  of  thirty-three  yjsars ;  and  the  history  of  the 
apostolic  era,  or  the  planting  of  the  Christian  Church 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


9 


in  the  world,  covering  the  last  two-thirds  of  the  first 
Christian  century; — the  pre-Abrahamic  or  universal  his¬ 
tory;  the  history  of  the  Jews;  the  history  of  the  Re¬ 
deemer  ;  and  the  history  of  the  planting  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

20.  In  what  portion  of  the  sacred  volume  are  these  histo¬ 
ries  respectively  to  he  found  ? 

The  pre-Abrahamic  or  universal  history  is  to  be  found  in 
the  first  eleven  chapters  of  Genesis ;  the  history  of  the 
Jews,  Abraham’s  descendants,  embraces  all  the  remaining 
parts  (nearly  the  whole)  of  the  Old  Testament ;  the  history 
of  the  Redeemer  is  to  be  found  in  the  Gospels ;  and  that 
of  the  planting  of  the  Christian  Church  in  the  world,  in  the 
Acts  and  Epistles. 

21.  Why  is  so  large  a  part  of  the  Bible  taken  up  with  a 
history  of  the  Jews ,  Abraham  s  descendants  ? 

Because,  as  our  Lord  said  to  the  woman  of  Samaria 
(John  4:  22),  “  Salvation  is  of  the  Jews.”  By  them  the 
knowledge  of  Jehovah,  the  one  living  and  true  God,  was 
preserved  in  the  world,  and  of  them,  as  concerning  His 
human  nature,  our  Redeemer,  Christ,  came.  For  this  pur¬ 
pose  they  were  raised  up  and  chosen  of  God. 

22.  Who  was  Abraham  f 

The  father  of  the  chosen  people,  and  the  head  of  the 
great  spiritual  household  of  faith — “  the  father  of  all  them 
that  believe  ’  ’  of  all  peoples  and  races. 

23.  What  are  the  three  names ,  in  their  historical  order,  by 
which  Abraham  and  his  descendants  are  knowii  ? 

They  were  known  first  as  Hebrews — that  is,  immigrants, 
the  people  from  beyond  the  river,  the  river  Euphrates, 
where  was  Abraham’s  native  home ;  second,  as  Israelites, 
the  covenant  name  of  the  chosen  people,  so  called  from  Jacob, 
the  grandson  of  Abraham,  whose  name  wTas  changed  to 
Israel,  “a  prince  of  God,”  and  who  was  the  father  of  the 
“twelve  tribes”  of  which  the  Israelitish  nation  was  com- 


10 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


posed  ;  and  third,  as  Jews,  the  name  by  which  all  the  sur¬ 
viving  descendants  of  Jacob  have  been  commonly  known 
(irrespective  of  their  tribal  relations)  since  their  return  from 
the  Babylonian  exile — Hebrews,  Israelites,  and  Jews. 

THE  BIBLE  IN  ITS  PARTS. 

What  do  the  Scriptures  principally  teach  ? 

What  man  is  to  believe  concerning  God,  and  what  duty 
God  requires  of  man ;  that  is,  faith  and  works,  or  doctrine 
and  duty. 

25.  What  is  the  honor  due  respectively  to  the  written  and 
the  incarnate  Word  f 

As  the  voice  of  God  speaking  to  man,  we  bow  to  the 
authority  of  the  one  ;  while  as  God  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
we  worship  the  other. 

26.  What  are  the  two  grand  divisions  of  the  Bible  f 

The  Old  and  the  New  Testament ;  that  is  to  say,  these  two 
grand  divisions  contain  the  inspired  records  of  God’s  former 
method  and  present  plan  of  dispensing  the  grace  of  salva¬ 
tion  to  sinful  men. 

27.  What  are  the  great  dispensations  under  which  God 
has  been  pleased  to  convey  the  grace  of  salvation  to  sinful 
men  ? 

There  are  three:  the  Patriarchal,  the  Mosaic,  and  the 
Christian  dispensation. 

THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

28.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  Old  Testament  division  of 
the  Bible  f 

It  contains  the  literature  of  the  Hebrew  people— the 
inspired  records  of  the  Israelitish  nation,  the  channel  of 
salvation  to  the  Gentile  world. 

29.  Of  how  many  separate  boolcs  is  the  Old  Testament 
composed  f 

In  our  English  Bibles,  thirty-nine  ;  in  the  Hebrew,  how- 


TWPIrHrATE 


Author..Sill4„..JfeS6l!£Bli.....lSi.4 . JuL _ _ „ _ 

(Surname  first) 

Title . Th.e...bl.bl.e......ca.tB.chi.s.t.; . Rn....lns.tr.xi.c.tl.Qn 

in  biblical  introduction  for  the 

J  u  n  i  i  7942  young , 


1942 


Edition.. 


..  Place.. 


.JBhil^i..: - Publisher.. 


Date  of  pub.. 


!?93. 


.  Vols... 


-  Price.. 


REFERENCE 

Univ.  of  Ill.  Lib. 


To  be  charged  to.. 


_ fund 


Recommended  by _ Approved  by - 

When  this  book  has  been  received  and  cataloged  this  card,  if  filled  out  by 
the  department,  will  be  returned  to  the  person  “recommending,’*  or,  if  no  one  is 
specified,  then  the  one  “approving”  the  book  order  for  his  information. 


1915 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


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ever,  being  divided  differently,  the  number  is  not  so  great. 
These  thirty-nine  books  constitute  the  sacred  library  of  Old 
Testament  literature. 

30.  How  are  these  thirty-nine  Old  Testament  looks  com¬ 
monly  grouped  or  classified  f 

Under  four  heads,  called  respectively  the  Pentateuch,  the 
Historical,  the  Poetical  and  the  Prophetical  division. 

31.  How  many  of  the  thirty-nine  books  are  contained  in 
each  of  these  divisions  f 

In  the  Pentateuch,  5 ;  in  the  Historical  division,  12 ;  in 
the  Poetical,  5  ;  and  in  the  Prophetical,  17. 

THE  PENTATEUCH. 

32.  Why  is  the  first  division  of  the  Old  Testament  called 
the  Pentateuch  f 

The  word  itself  is  composed  of  two  Greek  words  which 
mean  five  books ,  and  the  first  five  books  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment  are  called  the  Pentateuch,  or  the  five-volumed  book, 
called  by  the  Jews  the  Thor  ah  or  the  Law,  because  so 
large  a  part  of  the  books  is  taken  up  with  the  laws  and 
institutions  to  which  they  owed  their  existence  as  a  nation. 

33.  Who  teas  the  writer  of  the  Pentateuch  ? 

It  has  been  the  common  belief  of  the  Church,  Jewish 
and  Christian  alike,  that  Moses  was  the  inspired  author  of 
this  part  of  the  sacred  volume. 

31f.  What  do  we  learn  from  the  Pentateuch  concerning  the 
Hebrew  people  f 

It  tells  us  of  their  origin,  growth  and  organization  into  a 
nation,  and  of  their  history  as  a  people  during  the  first  forty 
years  of  their  existence  as  an  organized  body. 

35.  What  was  the  peculiar  form  of  the  government  of  the 
Hebrew  people  ? 

It  was  a  theocracy — the  form  of  government  in  which 
Jehovah  himself  was  at  once  Sovereign,  Lawgiver  and 


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THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


divine  Administrator,  carrying  on  His  operations  through 
persons  and  agencies  chosen  by  Himself.  In  these  respects 
the  Hebrew  people  differed  from  all  the  other  nations  of 
the  earth. 

36.  Has  the  theocracy  become  extinct  in  the  earth  ? 

No ;  though  the  Hebrew  people  have  no  longer  an  exist¬ 
ence  as  a  nation,  the  Christian  Church  is  the  successor  of 
ancient  Israel,  and  its  members,  in  so  far  as  they  are  truly 
Christian,  are  the  theocratic  people  of  this  era. 

37.  What  are  the  names  by  which  the  Pentateuchal  boohs 
are  commonly  known  f 

Genesis,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers  and  Deuteronomy. 

GENESIS. 

38.  Why  is  the  first  book  of  the  Bible  and  of  the  Penta¬ 
teuch  called  Genesis  ? 

Genesis  means  origin ,  the  beginning  of  anything;  and 
Genesis  is  the  book  of  origins,  the  beginnings  of  all  things. 

89.  Is  the  name  Genesis  sufficiently  broad  to  cover  the  con¬ 
tents  of  the  entire  book  ? 

No ;  the  title  only  properly  applies  to  the  story  of  the 
Creation,  while  all  the  rest  of  the  book  is  the  history,  out¬ 
come  or  development  of  the  things  brought  into  being 
during  the  creative  week. 

40.  What  is  the  scope  of  the  history  in  Genesis  ? 

While  it  is  universal  in  its  character  up  to  the  calling  of 

Abraham,  embracing  a  fragmentary  account  of  the  entire 
human  family  for  two  thousand  years,  from  this  point  it 
narrows  down  and  confines  itself  to  the  history  of  this  illus¬ 
trious  patriarch  and  his  immediate  descendants  during  a 
period  of  some  three  hundred  and  fifty  years.  The  uni¬ 
versal  history  is  but  an  introduction  to  and  preparation  for 
the  particular  or  theocratic  history  which  follows. 

41.  How ,  according  to  its  contents ,  may  the  first  fifth  of 
the  Pentateuch  be  fitly  designated  f 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


13 


It  may  be  called  Genesis ;  or,  the  book  of  the  Patriarchs, 
the  ancestors  of  the  Hebrew  people.  Hence  in  Genesis  we 
have  the  origin  of  the  elect  nation. 

4%*  What  was  the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  dis¬ 
pensation  inaugurated  in  Ahraliam  ? 

Separation  ;  he  was  to  leave  his  country  and  kindred, 
that  he  might  become  the  father  of  a  mighty  race,  which 
was  in  turn  to  be  a  “holy  nation,”  the  “peculiar  people” 
of  God. 

4$.  How  long  is  the  dispensation  inaugurated  in  Abra¬ 
ham  designed  to  last  ? 

To  the  end  of  the  world,  the  consummation  of  all  things, 
when  the  final  and  complete  separation  shall  take  place 
between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  at  the  judgment  of 
the  great  day. 

44-  Into  how  many  eras  may  this  great  Abrahamic  age 
be  divided? 

Three  :  the  Patriarchal  era.  or  that  of  the  separate  family ; 
the  National  era,  or  the  period  of  the  separate  Hebrew 
people;  and  the  Christian  era,  or  the  times  of  the  Gen¬ 
tiles,  the  period  of  the  separate  Church.  The  Family,  the 
Nation,  the  Church — these  are  the  three  great  eras  of  the 
Abrahamic  age. 

4%.  Which  of  these  eras  falls  within  the  scope  of  Genesis  ? 

The  Patriarchal,  which  begins  with  the  call  of  Abraham, 
and  ends  with  the  death  of  J oseph — a  period  of  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years. 

46.  At  what  time  did  the  call  of  Abraham  take  place  ? 

About  the  year  of  the  world  2000 ;  that  is,  at  a  point 

midway  between  Adam  and  Christ ;  about  the  same  length 
of  time  before  Christ  as  has  now  elapsed  since  His  advent. 

47.  Where  do  we  find  the  posterity  of  Abraham  at  the  close 
of  Genesis? 

In  Egypt,  where,  according  to  the  plan  of  God,  they 
were  to  become  a  great  nation. 


14 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


48.  How  many  did  Abraham' s  descendants  number  when 
they  went  down  to  Egypt ,  and  who  were  they  ? 

Seventy  souls  in  all — viz.  :  Jacob  and  his  twelve  sons  and 
their  children.  Neither  their  wives  nor  their  servants  are 
reckoned  in  the  number. 

49.  What  are  the  names  of  the  twelve  sons  of  Jacob  ? 

Reuben,  Simeon,  Levi  and  Judah,  Issachar  and  Zebulun 

(sons  of  Leah) ;  Dan  and  Naphtali  (sons  of  Zilpah,  Leah’s 
maid) ;  Grad  and  Asher  (sons  of  Bilhah,  Rachel’s  maid) ;  and 
Joseph  and  Benjamin  (the  sons  which  Jacob’s  beloved  wife 
Rachel  bore  to  him).  These  twelve  sons  of  J acob  are  the 
twelve  patriarchs  whepce  sprung  the  twelve-tribed  nation, 
the  Israelitish  people,  the  Jews. 

50.  Through  which  of  these  twelve  sons  of  Jacob  was  the 
promised  Seed ,  the  Christ ,  to  come? 

J udah,  the  fourth  son.  The  line  of  descent  was  thus : 
Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Judah. 

51.  What  period  of  time  is  covered  by  the  book  of  Gen¬ 
esis  ? 

About  2350  years.  Thus,  at  the  close  of  only  the  first 
book  of  the  sixty-six  of  which  the  sacred  volume  is  com¬ 
posed  we  are  more  than  half-way  through  the  Bible  in 
point  of  time.  For  from  the  creation  of  Adam  to  the 
death  of  Joseph  in  Egypt  there  are  considerably  more  than 
2000  years ;  and  from  Moses  to  John  in  Patmos,  who  wrote 
the  last  book  of  the  New  Testament,  there  are  as  many 
years  less  than  2000  as  there  are  more  than  that  num¬ 
ber  covered  by  the  book  of  Genesis ;  that  is,  nearly  400 
years. 

52.  Who  are  the  three  leading  characters  in  the  book  of 
Genesis  ? 

Adam,  the  first  head  of  the  human  family;  Noah,  the 
second  head  of  the  race  ;  and  Abraham,  the  father  of  the 
Hebrew  people  and  the  head  of  the  great  spiritual  house¬ 
hold  of  faith. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


15 


53.  To  what  class  of  literature  does  Genesis  as  a  hook 
belong  ? 

History ;  that  is,  the  contents  of  the  book  are  historical ; 
but  they  are  history  in  the  form  of  biography,  by  far  the 
larger  number  of  events  recorded  in  the  book  having  indi¬ 
viduals  for  their  centre.  Genesis  may  therefore  be  said  to 
be  a  book  of  biography. 

5 If.  What  are  the  great  pivotal  events  in  the  hook  of  Gen¬ 
esis ,  in  their  historical  order  ? 

The  Creation,  the  Fall,  the  Flood,  the  Confusion  of 
Tongues,  the  Calling  of  Abraham,  the  Birth  of  Isaac  the 
child  of  promise,  and  the  Descent  of  Jacob  and  his  family, 
Abraham’s  descendants,  into  Egypt. 

EXODUS. 

55.  How  does  Genesis  as  a  hook  compare  with  Exodus  ? 

Because  of  the  fullness  and  richness  of  its  contents  Gene¬ 
sis  may  truly  be  said  to  be  a  wonderful  book ;  while  Exodus, 
because  of  the  peculiar  nature  of  its  contents,  may  as  truly 
be  said  to  be  a  book  of  wonders.  It  is  full  of  the  super¬ 
natural— no  other  book  is  more  so. 

56.  How  may  Exodus  itself  as  a  hook  he  described  ? 

As  pre-eminently  the  book  of  God — Jehovah.  From 
beginning  to  end  His  voice  is  heard,  His  hand  is  seen,  His 
person  is  manifested.  It  contains  more  august  divine  dis¬ 
closures  or  visible  manifestations  of  deity  than  any  other  of 
the  books  which  compose  the  Old  Testament. 

57.  What  great  truth  concerning  Jehovah  do  the  con¬ 
tents  of  Exodus  demonstrate  ? 

His  universal  sovereignty  and  supremacy  over  all  that  is 
called  God.  The  sovereignty  of  Jehovah,  and  Jehovah 
as  Sovereign — these  two  points  cover  the  contents  of  this 
second  fifth  of  the  Pentateuch. 

58.  In  what  peculiar  character  does  God  manifest  Him¬ 
self  to  His  own  people  in  Exodus? 


16 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


In  Genesis  God  had  made  Himself  known  to  the  patri¬ 
archs  as  Father  and  Friend,  Protector  and  Guide ;  but  in 
Exodus  He  reveals  Himself  to  His  people  as  Redeemer  and 
Saviour.  In  Genesis  He  appears  as  the  great  Promiser ;  in 
Exodus  He  is  seen  as  Jehovah,  the  great  Performer— the 
covenant-keeping  God. 

59.  Why  is  the  hook  of  Exodus  so  called  f 

Exodus  means  a  going  out  or  departure,  and  the  book  is 
so  called  because  it  contains  an  account  of  the  wondrous 
deliverance  of  the  children  of  Israel  from  the  land  of 
Egypt. 

60.  Is  Exodus  a  title  sufficiently  comprehensive  to  cover 
the  whole  contents  of  the  hook  f 

No;  like  Genesis,  it  is  too  narrow,  covering,  as  it  does, 
only  the  first  half  of  the  contents  of  the  book ;  and,  the 
second  part  being  so  unlike  the  first,  it  is  difficult,  if  not 
impossible,  to  find  any  single  term  to  embrace  the  whole. 

61.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  contents  of  Exodus  ? 

The  first  part  is  wholly  historical,  while  the  second  part 
is  about  equally  divided  between  that  which  is  historical 
and  that  which  is  apocalyptic ;  that  is,  between  that  which 
recounts  the  doings  of  the  people  and  that  which  records 
the  sayings  or  revelations  of  Jehovah  Himself. 

62.  What  is  the  central  point  in  the  hook  of  Exodus  ? 

Mount  Sinai  in  Arabia,  the  point  to  which  God  led  the 

children  of  Israel  after  their  deliverance  from  Egypt,  and 
the  scene  of  the  giving  of  the  law.  Indeed,  Sinai  may  be 
regarded  as  the  central  point  of  the  entire  Pentateuch.  All 
that  precedes  leads  up  to  it  and  is  a  preparation  for  it,  while 
all  that  follows  is  but  the  outcome  of  what  there  took  place. 

63.  What  is  the  difference  between  the  condition  in  which 
we  leave  the  Israelites  in  Genesis  and  that  in  which  we  find 
them  in  Exodus  f 

In  Genesis  we  leave  them  in  prosperity  and  honor;  in 
Exodus,  150  years  later,  we  find  them  in  a  state  of  galling 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


17 


servitude.  Entering  the  south  country  as  princes,  they  be¬ 
came  slaves ;  the  land  of  Egypt  became  to  them  a  house 
of  bondage. 

6Jf.  How  was  the  deliverance  of  the  children  of  Israel 
from  the  Egyptian  bondage  effected? 

By  the  direct  interposition  of  God  J eho vah  in  their  be¬ 
half,  Who,  through  the  agency  of  His  servant  Moses,  whom 
He  raised  up  and  qualified  for  the  purpose,  by  a  series  of 
plagues,  ten  in  number,  compelled  the  unwilling  monarch 
Pharaoh  to  let  His  people  go. 

65.  What  were  the  Ten  Plagues  of  Egypt  ? 

Turning  the  water  into  blood ;  frogs ;  lice ;  flies ;  mur¬ 
rain  of  cattle ;  boils ;  fire  and  hail ;  locusts ;  darkness ;  and 
the  last  and  most  terrible,  the  death  of  all  the  first-born  of 
man  and  beast  in  all  the  houses  of  the  Egyptians. 

66.  What  religious  ordinance  was  instituted  in  connection 
with  the  Exodus  ? 

The  Passover.  By  direction  of  God  the  Hebrew  people 
in  their  respective  families  slew  a  lamb,  whose  blood  was 
sprinkled  on  the  door-posts  and  lintels  as  a  sign  to  the  de¬ 
stroying  angel,  when  going  on  his  errand  of  death,  to  pass 
over  those  houses  whereon  was  this  evidence  of  faith  and 
obedience.  The  ordinance  which  was  thus  instituted  as  a 
means  of  the  salvation  of  Israel  was  to  be  annually  observed 
as  a  memorial  of  the  event  throughout  all  their  future  gen¬ 
erations. 

67.  How  did  Jeho  vah  conduct  His  people  out  of  Egypt  ? 

He  went  before  them  in  a  pillar  of  cloud  by  day,  and  by 

night  in  a  pillar  of  fire,  to  lead  them  in  the  way. 

68.  What  was  the  final  act  by  which  the  deliverance  of 
the  Hebrew  people  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt  was  com¬ 
pleted  ? 

The  dividing  of  the  Red  Sea,  through  which  the  Hebrew 
people  passed  on  dry  ground ;  and  the  which,  when  the 
Egyptians  essayed  to  do,  they  were  drowned. 

2 


18 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


69.  What  did  the  people  of  Israel  do  after  they  thus  saw 
their  deliverance  so  wonderfully  effected  ? 

They  sang  the  song  of  Moses  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea, 
after  their  passage  through  the  water.  In  this  song  is  ex¬ 
tolled  the  triumph  of  Jehovah  over  their  former  masters 
and  pursuers,  the  Egyptians. 

70.  Whence  did  Jehovah  lead  His  emancipated  people 
after  the  triumphant  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  ? 

Through  the  wilderness  to  Mount  Sinai,  which  place  they 
reached  after  a  journey  or  march  of  about  two  months. 

71.  What  were  the  leading  events  which  took  place  at 
Sinai ,  as  recorded  in  Exodus? 

The  giving  of  the  Moral  Law — the  Ten  Commandments ; 
the  giving  of  the  code  of  laws  which,  together  with  the 
Decalogue,  composed  the  National  Covenant,  the  compact 
between  Jehovah  and  the  Hebrew  people;  the  solemn 
inauguration  of  the  Covenant,  and  the  tabernacle  revela¬ 
tion.  The  first  part  of  Exodus  is  historical;  its  middle 
part  is  legislative ;  and  its  latter  half  is  institutional — per¬ 
taining  to  the  tabernacle  and  its  services. 

72.  What  sad  incident  marred  the  proceedings  at  Sinai? 

The  worship  of  the  golden  calf,  and  the  breaking  of  the 

two  tables  of  the  law  by  Moses,  which  he  cast  upon  the 
ground  in  an  outburst  of  indignation  at  this  sign  of  apos¬ 
tasy  on  the  part  of  his  people.  This  lapse  on  the  part  of 
the  people,  with  its  sad  consequences,  and  their  restoration 
to  the  divine  favor,  and  how  it  was  effected,  are  recorded  in 
chapters  32-34  inclusive. 

73.  How  often  and  how  long  was  Moses  in  the  mount  with 
God? 

Twice  ;  each  time  extending  over  a  period  of  forty  days 
and  nights,  and  during  which  seasons  he  neither  ate  nor 
drank. 

7J.  Under  what  general  headings  may  the  contents  of  Ex¬ 
odus  he  grouped  ? 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


19 


Three :  Israel  in  Egypt ;  from  Egypt  to  Sinai ;  and  the 
transactions  at  Sinai. 

75.  What  sub-title ,  in  addition  to  its  present  name ,  would 
best  indicate  the  contents  of  Exodus  ? 

Owing  to  the  central  place  the  national  compact  occupies 
among  the  events  in  the  bo(}k,  it  might  be  called  Exodus ; 
or.  the  Book  of  the  Covenant.  The  National  Covenant :  its 
nature  ;  the  parties  to  it ;  the  time  when,  the  place  where, 
and  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  entered  into,  to¬ 
gether  with  the  obligations  and  privileges  which  either  accom¬ 
pany  or  flow  from  it.  This  subject  thus  distributed  would 
suggest  and  cover  the  entire  contents  of  this  second  fifth 
of  the  Pentateuch. 

THE  TABERNACLE. 

76.  What  was  the  tabernacle? 

It  was  the  tent  or  place  of  meeting  between  God  and  His 
people — at  once  the  palace  or  earthly  dwelling-place  of 
Jehovaii  and  the  sanctuary  for  His  worship. 

77.  What  were  the  three  grand  divisions  of  the  tabernacle  ? 

The  outer  court,  the  holy  place,  and  the  innermost  sanc¬ 
tuary  or  the  holy  of  holies. 

78.  What  was  the  furniture  of  these  divisions  of  the  tab¬ 
ernacle  respectively  ? 

In  the  outer  court  were  the  brazen  altar  and  the  brazen 
laver,  the  altar  of  sacrifice  for  the  people,  and  the  place  of 
purification  for  the  priests ;  in  the  holy  place  were  the  table 
of  shew-bread,  the  golden  candlestick,  and  the  altar  of 
incense  or  golden  altar ;  and  in  the  most  holy  place  the 
ark  of  the  covenant,  the  mercy-seat,  and  the  cherubim 
which  sat  upon  it. 

79.  What  sacred  deposit  was  placed  in  the  arh  of  the 
covenant  ? 

The  two  tables  of  the  law,  and  probably  Aaron’s  rod  that 
budded,  and  the  pot  of  manna. 


20 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


80.  What  are  the  three  arks  of  Scripture  f 

Noah’s  ark,  the  ark  in  which  the  child  Moses  was  laid, 
and  the  ark  of  the  covenant. 

81.  Who  were  the  officers  in  charge  of  the  tabernacle  and 
its  services  ? 

The  priests,  the  sons  of  Aaron,  and  the  Levites,  all  of 
whom  were  members  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  Jacob’s  third 
son,  who  were  set  apart  by  direction  of  God  for  this  ser¬ 
vice.  These  were  ministers  of  state  as  well  as  officers  of 
religion. 

LEVITICUS. 

82.  What  is  the  nature  of  this  third  fifth  of  the  Penta¬ 
teuch  ? 

It  is  the  priestly  book,  containing  the  ritual  of  the  Hebrew 
religion.  As  the  book  of  the  covenant  in  Exodus  contained 
the  civil  statutes  and  judgments  by  which  the  elect  people 
were  to  be  guided  in  their  internal  affairs  and  external  rela¬ 
tions,  so  the  religious  laws  and  institutions  given  here  in 
Leviticus  supply  what  was  yet  wanting  for  their  complete 
equipment  as  the  people  of  God.  Leviticus,  which  con¬ 
tains  the  ceremonial  law,  may  therefore  be  described  as  the 
book  of  ceremonies  or  directory  of  worship  of  the  Hebrew 
people. 

83.  Who  prescribed  these  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  He¬ 
brew  religion  f 

Jehovah  Himself.  Hence,  almost  the  entire  book  of 
Leviticus  is  made  up  of  the  very  words  of  the  supreme 
Law-giver  Himself,  Moses  being  only  the  mediator  and 
promulgator  thereof. 

8 If.  Were  the  laws  in  Leviticus  delivered  from  the  same 
place  as  those  of  Exodus  f 

No ;  the  ceremonial  enactments  in  Leviticus  were  given, 
as  was  fit,  from  the  tabernacle,  the  tent  of  propitiation  itself, 
at  the  foot  of  Mount  Sinai,  by  God,  as  Saviour ;  while  the 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


21 


civil  legislation  of  Exodus  was  given  from  the  top  of  the 
mount  by  God  J eho vah  as  sovereign. 

85.  What  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  contents  of  Leviticus  f 

It  contains  the  laws  of  sacrifice ;  the  laws  to  be  observed 

by  the  priests  and  Levites,  both  as  to  their  consecration  and 
their  official  duties ;  sanitary  laws  ;  the  ceremonies  to  be  ob¬ 
served  in  connection  with  the  great  Day  of  Atonement ;  the 
fixing  of  the  sacred  times  of  Israel ;  and  other  minor  and 
miscellaneous  matters. 

86.  What  is  the  central  chapter  and  subject  in  Leviticus  f 

The  sixteenth  chapter,  which  treats  of  the  great  Day  of 

Atonement.  Than  this  there  is  no  more  significant  chapter 
or  subject  in  all  the  Old  Testament,  clearly  prefiguring,  as 
it  does,  our  Lord’s  death  and  resurrection,  and  His  appear¬ 
ance  meantime  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us.  The  great 
Day  of  Atonement  was  to  the  Hebrew  people  what  cruci¬ 
fixion  day  and  its  sequel  are  to  the  Gentile  world. 

87.  What  were  the  chief  annual  festivals  of  the  Hebrew 
people  f 

The  Passover,  which  commemorated  the  deliverance  from 
Egypt;  Pentecost,  or  the  Feast  of ‘Weeks  (occurring  seven 
weeks  after  the  Passover),  or  the  festival  of  the  First- 
Fruits  ;  and  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  and  Ingathering,  or 
the  Harvest  Home,  the  closing  festival  of  the  Jewish  year. 
At  each  ot  these  three  annual  feasts  all  male  persons  over 
twelve  years  were  required  to  appear  before  Jehovah. 

88.  Is  Leviticus  an  evangelical  book  f 

Yes  ;  it  is  full  of  the  truth  that  sanctifies  and  saves.  All 
its  sacrifices  point  forward  to  the  one  great  sacrifice.  In 
fact,  it  may  with  great  propriety  be  called  “The  Gospel 
according  to  Leviticus.”  It  has  been  pronounced  “the 
clearest  book  of  Jewish  gospel.” 

89.  What  book  in  the  New  Testament  is  the  key  to  Levit¬ 
icus  ? 

The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  In  this  book,  whose  great 


22 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


theme  is  the  priesthood  of  Christ,  it  is  clearly  seen  how  the 
rites  and  services  of  the  Levitical  economy  point  to  Him  as 
their  antetype  and  fulfillment. 

90.  What  are  the  hey -thoughts  of  Leviticus  ? 

Sacrifice  and  sanctification ;  or,  the  way  to  God  and  the 
walk  with  God. 

NUMBERS. 

91.  Why  is  this  fourth  fifth  of  the  Pentateuch  called 
Numbers  ? 

It  is  so  called  frpm  the  twofold  occurrence  of  the  making 
up  the  muster-roll  of  those  capable  of  bearing  arms  and 
amenable  to  military  duty — the  first  when  the  people  were 
about  to  start  off  upon  their  march  to  the  land  of  promise, 
and  the  second  at  the  end  of  the  forty  years  in  the  wilder¬ 
ness.  Like  the  titles  of  the  previous  portions  of  the  Penta¬ 
teuch,  u  Numbers  ”  is  by  no  means  a  sufficient  index  to  the 
contents  of  the  entire  book. 

92.  What  is  the  nature  and  scope  of  the  contents  of  this 
booh  of  Numbers  f 

The  history  contained  in  it  is  of  a  military  character,  and 
it  gives  an  account  of  the  marshaling  of  the  people  accord¬ 
ing  to  their  tribes,  of  their  march  from  Sinai,  to  the  borders 
of  the  promised  land,  and  of  the  conquest  of  the  territory 
on  the  east  side  of  Jordan. 

93.  How  long  did  the  children  of  Israel  linger  about 
Mount  Sinai ? 

About  one  year,  during  which  time  the  laws  of  Exodus 
were  given,  the  tabernacle  constructed  and  erected  and  the 
laws  of  Leviticus  dictated  to  Moses. 

91f.  What  are  the  chief  incidents  in  the  story  of  the  march 
from  Sinai  to  Canaan  as  recorded  in  Numbers  ? 

The  celebration  of  the  Passover  before  starting  out ;  the 
giving  of  the  people  quails  for  food  ;  the  sedition  of  Miriam 
and  Aaron  and  its  punishment ;  the  report  of  the  spies  and 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


23 


the  people’s  rebellion  in  consequence  thereof,  and  its  pun¬ 
ishment  ;  the  stoning  of  the  Sabbath-breaker ;  the  rebellion 
of  Korah  and  his  company,  and  its  punishment ;  the  bring¬ 
ing  of  water  out  of  the  rock  at  Meribah  ;  the  death  of  Miriam 
and  Aaron,  and  the  appointment  of  Aaron’s  successor;  the 
story  of  the  brazen  serpent ;  the  victory  over  Sihon  and 
Og  ;  the  story  of  Balaam  ;  the  spoiling  of  the  Midianites ; 
and  the  appointment  of  Joshua  as  Moses’  successor. 

95.  What  is  a  peculiar  feature  in  the  contents  of  the  hook 
of  Numbers  ? 

The  alternation  of  laws,  enacted  as  the  emergency  arose, 
with  the  historical  narrations.  There  is  a  great  variety  of 
such  legislation  scattered  through  this  long  book. 

96.  For  what  is  Numbers  as  a  book  remarkable  ? 

The  signal  display  of  God’s  judgments  against  sin  with 
which  the  account  abounds ;  and  this  not  merely  in  the  case 
of  the  heathen,  as  Sihon  and  Og,  but  toward  His  own  people, 
not  even  Moses  and  Aaron  escaping  the  consequences  of  their 
unfortunate  misdemeanors. 

97.  What  are  the  chief  lessons  of  the  book  of  Numbers  f 

It  teaches  the  sin  and  evil  of  unbelief,  and  that  warfare 

is  the  necessary  condition  of  pilgrimage  and  possession. 

98.  What  were  the  results  to  the  children  of  Israel  of  their 
wilderness  experience  f 

It  gave  to  them  their  national  unity,  their  laws  and  insti¬ 
tutions,  individual  liberty,  military  discipline,  and  religious 
education. 

99.  What  is  a  brief  summary  of  the  book  of  Numbers  f 

Forty  years  of  Moses ;  or,  the  Failures  and  Successes  of 

the  Church  Militant — the  Church  in  the  wilderness. 

DEUTERONOMY. 

100.  Why  is  this  last  fifth  of  the  Pentateuch  called  Deu - 
teronomy  ? 

The  word  itself  means  the  second  law  ”  or  the  repetition 


24 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


of  the  law,  and  the  book  doubtless  takes  its  name  from  the 
fact  that  so  large  a  part  of  it  is  taken  up  with  the  substan¬ 
tial  reproduction  of  the  laws  of  Exodus.  The  title,  how¬ 
ever,  is  inadequate,  seeing  that  it  neither  correctly  expresses 
the  nature,  nor  covers  the  whole,  of  the  contents  of  the 
book. 

101.  What  then  is  the  nature  of  this  book  of  Deuteronomy , 
and  how  may  it  be  expressed  ? 

The  book  is  sermonic  rather  than  legislative  in  its  char¬ 
acter,  and  may  be  described  as  the  Lawgiver’s  Appeal ;  or, 
Moses’  Farewell  Address  to  his  Countrymen. 

102.  What  is  the  object  of  this  farewell  address  of  Moses 
to  his  countrymen  ? 

To  impress  upon  the  people  a  sense  of  their  obligation 
to  Jehovah  their  God,  Who  had  so  wondrously  redeemed 
them,  and  to  urge  upon  them  the  duty  of  obedience  to  His 
law  and  faithfulness  to  His  covenant. 

103.  How  does  Moses ,  as  preacher,  proceed  in  effecting  his 
object  in  this  farewell  address  f 

He  first  recounts  their  history,  then  recalls  their  laws, 
and  finally  reminds  the  people  of  the  solemn  compact  or 
covenant  into  which  they  had  entered  with  Jehovah  at 
Sinai,  soon  after  their  deliverance  from  the  bondage  of 
Egypt.  This  address,  which  is  divided  into  these  three 
sections,  takes  up  the  first  thirty  chapters  of  the  book. 

10 If.  What  are  the  other  chief  matters  contained  in  the 
remaining  part  of  this  book  of  Deuteronomy? 

Moses’  charge  to  Joshua,  his  dying  song,  and  his  blessing 
the  twelve  tribes  as  Jacob  had  blessed  the  heads  thereof ; 
the  account  of  his  death  and  burial ;  the  whole  being  con¬ 
cluded  with  a  brief  eulogy  of  the  great  lawgiver. 

105 .  What  service  did  this  book  of  Deuteronomy  render  to 
our  Lord  ? 

He  found  in  it  the  arrows  with  which  He  repelled  the 
assaults  of  Satan  in  His  temptation  in  the  wilderness. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


25 


106.  What  is  the  great  lesson  Moses  endeavored  to  impress 
upon  his  people  in  the  booh  of  Deuteronomy  ? 

It  is  that  obedience  is  the  condition  of  the  divine  favor 
and  of  the  permanent  possession  of  the  promised  land. 

107.  What  period  of  time  is  embraced  in  the  pentateuchal 
story  ? 

From  the  creation  of  Adam  to  the  death  of  Moses — 
according  to  the  common  chronology,  about  2500  years. 

THE  HISTORICAL  BOOKS. 

108.  How  many  and  what  are  the  boohs  of  the  historical 
division  of  the  Old  Testament  ? 

They  are  twelve  in  number  as  they  stand  in  our  English 
Bible  :  Joshua,  Judges,  and  Ruth;  the  three  doubles — the 
Samuels,  the  Kings,  and  the  Chronicles ;  Ezra,  Nehemiah, 
and  Esther. 

109.  Are  not  the  pentateuchal  boohs  historical ,  as  well  as 
those  distinctively  so  called  ? 

Yes ;  in  the  broadest  sense  they  are  so ;  but  because  so 
large  a  portion  of  the  Pentateuch  is  taken  up  with  their 
laws  and  institutions,  the  Hebrew  people  designated  that 
division  of  their  Scriptures  as  the  Thorah ;  that  is,  the 
Lav/. 

110.  Of  what  are  these  twelve  boohs  the  history  ? 

Of  the  Hebrew  people  as  an  organized  body.  In  the 
Pentateuch  we  have  an  account  of  the  origin,  growth,  and 
organization  of  the  Hebrew  people  into  a  nation  ;  and  in 
these  twelve  books  we  have  the  history  of  the  nation  in 
outline  from  the  death  of  Moses,  its  founder,  to  Malaehi, 
the  last  of  the  prophets — a  period  of  about  1100  years. 

111.  Into  how  many  periods  may  the  history  of  the  Hebrew 
people  as  a  nation  be  divided? 

Three :  the  period  of  the  Theocracy,  the  period  of  the 
Monarchy,  and  the  period  of  the  Restoration. 


26 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


The  Theocracy. 

112.  What  period  is  embraced  by  the  theocracy  distinctively 
so  called  f 

The  interval  between  Moses  and  the  monarchy ;  that  is. 
between  the  death  of  the  nation’s  founder  and  the  appoint¬ 
ment  of  Saul  as  king — a  period  of  about  400  years. 

113.  What  was  the  distinctive  feature  of  this  theocratic 
period  in  the  history  of  the  Hebrew  people  f 

The  direction  of  affairs  of  state  was  lodged  solely  in  the 
hands  of  Jehovah  Himself. 

lllf.  How  many  and  what  are  the  boohs  which  treat  of 
the  theocracy  f 

Three  :  Joshua,  Judges,  and  Ruth. 

115.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  booh  of  Joshua  f 

It  is  a  military  history,  which  gives  an  account  of  the  con¬ 
quest  and  division  of  the  land  of  promise  under  Joshua,  the 
hero  of  the  story.  The  book  reads  like  Grant’s  Memoirs  or 
Caesar  s  Commentaries. 

116.  Who  succeeded  Joshua  ? 

He  had  no  successor:  by  his  death  the  nation  was  left 
without  any  visible  head  or  federal  authority,  the  twelve 
tribes  preserving  their  independence  in  the  management  of 
their  own  internal  affairs. 

117.  What ,  during  this  period,  was  the  centre  of  national 
unity  for  the  twelve  tribes  f 

The  tabernacle,  the  place  of  meeting  between  the  people 
and  God.  They  were  bound  together  by  the  double  tie  of 
race  and  religion. 

118.  How  is  the  period  immediately  succeeding  the  admin¬ 
istration  of  Joshua  known  f 

As  the  period  of  the  Judges — a  class  of  men  whom  God 
raised  up  from  time  to  time  to  deliver  the  people  from  the 
enemies  He  allowed  to  oppress  them  because  of  their  apos¬ 
tasy  from,  and  disloyalty  to,  Himself. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


27 


119.  Row  many  judges  were  there ,  and  what  are  the  names 
of  the  chief  ones  among  them  ? 

There  were  fifteen  in  all,  the  chief  of  whom  were  Deb¬ 
orah  and  Barak,  Gideon,  Jephthah,  Samson,  Eli,  and  Samuel. 

120.  Where  do  we  find  an  account  of  the  period  of  the 
judges  f 

In  the  books  of  Judges,  Ruth,  and  the  early  part  of  first 
Samuel. 

121.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  booh  of  Ruth  f 

It  is  a  simple  and  beautiful  love-story  of  rural  domestic 
life,  being  an  incident  which  took  place  in  the  days  when 
the  judges  ruled,  and  in  which  Ruth  and  Naomi  are  the 
leading  characters.  A  story  of  filial  love  and  moral  purity, 
it  flashes  like  a  star  in  the  midnight  of  its  dark  surroundings. 

122.  How  is  this  period  of  the  theocracy  commonly  char¬ 
acterized  ? 

As  the  Iron  Age  of  Israel ;  as  the  period  of  David  and 
Solomon  is  called  its  Golden  Age. 

The  Monarchy. 

123.  What  boohs  treat  of  the  monarchical  period  of  He¬ 
brew  history  ? 

The  three  doubles — the  Samuels,  the  Kings,  and  the 
Chronicles.  Herein  we  have  the  history  of  the  rise,  cul¬ 
mination,  division,  decline,  and  fall  of  the  Hebrew  mon¬ 
archy. 

12f  How  long  did  the  Hebrew  monarchy  last  ? 

From  its  foundation  in  Saul  till  the  captivity  of  Judah — 
about  500  years. 

125.  How  long  did  the  united  hingdom  last  ? 

During  the  reigns  of  Saul,  David,  and  Solomon  (each  of 
whom  reigned  40  years) — 120  years. 

126.  What  became  of  Solomon's  empire  ? 

Under  Rehoboam,  Solomon’s  son  and  successor,  the  Ten 
Tribes  revolted  from  his  rule  and  founded  the  kingdom  of 


28 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


Israel ;  while  the  two  tribes  of  Judah  and  Benjamin  adhered 
to  the  house  of  David,  constituting  the  kingdom  of  Judah. 
Thus  Solomon’s  empire  was  divided,  forming  two  inde¬ 
pendent  realms  and  rival  kingdoms — Israel  and  Judah. 

127.  How  long  did  these  two  rival  kingdoms  stand  f 

Israel,  the  northern  kingdom,  stood  a  little  over  two  cen¬ 
turies  and  a  half  (254  years),  and  had  nineteen  kings;  while 
Judah  survived  its  northern  rival  134  years,  lasting  nearly 
400  (exactly  388)  years,  and  had  twenty  kings.  Unlike  those 
of  Israel,  these  were  all  of  the  house  of  David. 

128.  What  became  of  these  two  kingdoms ,  Israel  and 
Judah  ? 

They  were  both  destroyed  by  peoples  of  the  East ;  Israel  or 
the  Ten  Tribes  being  first  carried  away  captive  into  Assyria, 
and  subsequently  the  people  of  Judah  into  Babylon.  The 
latter,  however,  after  their  seventy  years’  captivity  in  Baby¬ 
lon,  returned  in  large  numbers  to  their  own  land  and  re-es¬ 
tablished  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  while  the  Ten  Tribes 
never  recovered  their  national  existence,  and  are  commonly 
regarded  as  lost. 

129.  What  are  the  contents  of  the  tivo  books  of  Samuel  ? 

The  first,  after  detailing  the  events  in  the  history  of  the 

last  two  judges,  Eli  and  Samuel,  gives  an  account  of  the 
rise  and  inauguration  of  the  monarchy  in  Saul,  and  of  his 
reign  of  forty  years ;  while  the  second  is  wholly  taken  up 
with  the  splendid  reign  of  David,  the  hero-king  of  Israel. 
The  names  of  these  two  books  are  misleading,  being  not  at 
all  an  index  to  the  nature  of  their  contents. 

130.  What  are  the  contents  of  the  two  books  of  Kings? 

Taking  up  the  story  of  the  monarchy  with  the  last  days 

of  David,  these  two  books  carry  the  history  down  to  the 
Babylonian  captivity — from  Solomon  to  Zedekiah  king  of 
Judah — a  period  of  about  400  years. 

131.  How  do  the  two  books  of  Chronicles  differ  from  the 
two  books  of  Kings  ? 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


29 


Besides  giving  the  genealogy  of  the  Hebrew  people  from 
Adam  down  to  David,  the  “Chronicles”  are  mainly  con¬ 
cerned  with  the  history  of  Judah ;  while  in  the  Kings  the 
history  of  both  kingdoms  is  given.  Chronicles,  as  far  as 
the  southern  kingdom  is  concerned,  is  parallel  with  the  his¬ 
tory  in  Kings. 

132.  What  great  event  brought  the  Hebrew  monarchy  to  a 
close  f 

The  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  captivity  of  the 
people  of  Judah  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon. 

133.  How  long  did  the  Babylonian  exile  last  f 

The  prophetic  seventy  years,  after  which,  in  the  provi¬ 
dence  of  God,  the  people  of  the  captivity,  as  many  as 
chose,  were  permitted  to  return  to  their  own  land.  Only  a 
small  fraction,  however,  of  the  number  who  were  carried 
away  captive,  or  their  children,  availed  themselves  of  this 
permission  to  return. 

13 If.  Where  do  we  learn  of  the  condition  of  the  Hebrew 
people  during  their  Babylonian  exile  f 

There  are  no  historical  books  specially  devoted  to  this 
period,  and  such  information  as  is  available  must  be  gath¬ 
ered  from  the  prophets  of  the  period,  the  books  of  the 
restoration,  and  the  Psalms  of  the  exile. 

The  Restoration  Era. 

135.  What  is  meant  by  the  era  of  the  Restoration  ? 

It  designates  that  period  in  the  history  of  the  Hebrew 
people  immediately  succeeding  the  Babylonian  exile,  when 
the  Jewish  captives  returned  to  their  own  land  and  rebuilt 
the  temple  and  re-established  on  its  old  foundations  the 
religion  of  their  fathers.  From  this  time  onward  the  peo¬ 
ple  first  known  as  Hebrews,  and  then  as  Israelites,  become 
known  as  Jews. 

136.  What  books  treat  of  this  restoration  era  ? 

The  last  historical  triplet — Ezra,  Nehemiah,  and  Esther. 


30 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


137.  Who  were  the  leading  characters  of  the  restoration 
era  f 

Joshua  and  Zerubbabel,  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  and  Haggai 
and  Zechariah ;  the  first  pair  being  the  ecclesiastical  and 
civil  leaders  of  the  first  band  of  returning  captives ;  the 
second  pair,  the  leaders  of  the  second  and  third  bands ;  and 
the  last  two  being  the  prophets  who  co-operated  with  J oshua 
and  Zerubbabel  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  second,  commonly 
called  Zerubbabel’ s,  temple. 

138.  W  ho  were  the  prophets  of  the  restoration  era  f 

Haggai,  Zechariah,  and  Malachi,  the  last  named  being 

contemporary  with,  and  the  coadjutor  of,  the  last  historical 
character  of  Old  Testament  story — Nehemiah. 

139.  Of  what  do  the  hooks  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  respect¬ 
ively  treat  f 

Each  has  a  story  to  tell  of  return,  rebuilding,  and  refor¬ 
mation.  The  first  tells  of  the  return  of  the  first  band  of  cap¬ 
tives  and  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple,  and  of  the  return 
of  Ezra  with  his  company  and  the  reforms  which  he  wrought ; 
while  the  second  tells  of  the  return  of  Nehemiah,  the  re¬ 
building  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  reformations 
which  he  succeeded  in  effecting. 

11+0.  What  is  noteworthy  about  Nehemiah  as  a  hook  ? 

It  is  the  last  historical  book  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures. 
With  it  closes  the  Old  Testament  Canon ;  the  book  of  Es¬ 
ther,  which  follows,  being  but  an  episode  which  took  place 
in  the  time  of  Ezra ;  just  as  the  book  of  Ruth  contains  the 
account  of  an  incident  which  took  place  in  the  days  when 
the  judges  ruled  in  Israel. 

11+1.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  hook  of  Esther  f 

It  is  a  story  of  providence  and  patriotism,  in  which  Es¬ 
ther,  a  Jewess  and  the  beautiful  queen  of  the  Persian  mon¬ 
arch,  risks  her  own  life  for  the  salvation  of  her  people,  a 
plot  for  whose  utter  extermination  was  foiled  through  her 
efforts. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


31 


11$.  What  is  remarkable  about  this  book  of  Esther  f 

Though  a  romance  of  providence,  the  name  of  God  is  not 
in  it.  The  same  is  true  of  Canticles,  or  the  Song  of  Solo¬ 
mon. 

11$.  Who  are  the  leading  characters  in  this  book  of  Es¬ 
ther  ? 

The  king  Ahasuerus  (who  was  Xerxes),  Esther  the 
queen,  Mordecai  the  Jew,  and  Hainan  the  Agagite,  the 
Jews’  enemy. 

144-  What  are  the  four  u sevens  ”  mentioned  in  this  book 
of  Esther  ? 

The  seven  days  of  the  royal  feast  to  the  people  ;  the  seven 
chamberlains  of  the  king ;  the  seven  princes  of  Persia  ;  and 
the  seven  maidens  of  Esther. 

14b.  Who  are  the  five  persons  whose  names  begin  with  If 
mentioned  in  this  book  of  Esther  ? 

Hadassah  (who  is  Esther) ;  Hege,  the  king’s  chamber- 
lain  and  keeper  of  the  harem;  Hatach,  also  one  of  the 
king’s  chamberlains  and  minister-in-waiting  upon  the  queen  ; 
Hainan  the  Agagite,  the  Jews’  enemy  ;  and  Harbonah,  the 
king’s  chamberlain,  who  counseled  the  hanging  of  Haman. 

lfG.  What  are  the  names  of  the  two  leading  characters  in 
the  story  of  Esther  which  begin  with  M? 

Memucan,  one  of  the  seven  princes  of  Persia  and  coun¬ 
selor  to  the  king ;  and  Mordecai  the  Jew. 

141.  What  are  the  three  pairs  in  Esther  ? 

Two  queens,  Vashti  and  Esther;  two  rivals,  Mordecai  and 
Haman  ;  and  two  would-be  regicides  or  assassins  of  the  king, 
Bigthana  and  Teresh,  the  king’s  chamberlains. 

11$.  What  became  of  the  rivals ,  Mordecai  and  Haman  ? 

Haman  was  hanged  on  the  gallows  which  he  himself  had 
erected,  and  on  which  he  expected  to  hang  Mordecai,  whom 
through  envy  he  hated ;  while  Mordecai  was  promoted  to 
the  high  place  in  the  king’s  service  to  which  Haman  had 
been  exalted. 


32 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


lift.  What  period  of  time  is  included  in  the  restoration 
era  ? 

From  the  proclamation  of  Cyrus,  giving  permission  for 
the  exiles  to  return,  to  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament 
Canon  (Nehemiah-Malachi) — nearly,  but  not  quite,  150 
years. 

THE  POETICAL  BOOKS. 

150.  How  many  and  what  are  the  poetical  hooks  of  the 
Old  Testament  ? 

There  are  five  books  commonly  reckoned  in  this  division, 
namely :  J ob,  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  and  Canticles, 
or  the  “Song  of  Songs,  which  is  Solomon’s. ”  “Lamenta¬ 
tions,”  one  of  the  most  poetical  of  compositions,  now 
classed  among  the  prophetical  books,  might  very  properly 
have  found  a  place  in  this  division. 

151.  Why  is  the  hook  of  Job  so  called? 

It  is  so  called  from  Job,  the  patriarch  of  Uz,  who  is  the 
hero  of  the  poem. 

152.  Who  are  the  dramatis  personal — the  leading  char¬ 
acters — in  the  hook  of  Joh  ? 

The  Lord  Jehovah,  the  moral  governor  of  the  universe ; 
Job  himself,  a  rich  man,  perfect  and  upright ;  the  patri¬ 
arch’s  three  friends,  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  Bildad  the 
Shuhite,  and  Zopliar  the  Naamatliite;  then  there  is  also 
the  young  orator  Elihu  the  Buzite ;  and  Job’s  wife,  who 
has  obtained  an  unenviable  notoriety  as  the  bad  adviser  of 
her  husband  by  the  utterance  of  a  single  sentence. 

153.  What  is  the  great  problem  to  he  solved  in  the  hook  of 
Joh? 

Whether  there  is  such  a  thing  as  disinterested  rectitude 
among  men,  or  whether  they  are  selfish  and  mercenary  in 
their  loyalty  to  God,  serving  Him  only  so  long  as,  and  be¬ 
cause,  it  pays  to  do  so.  Satan  charged  that  the  latter  was 
the  fact,  alleging  that  the  piety  of  good  men  is  only  as¬ 
sumed. 


5* 


uhrmw 

UNIVERSITY  Of  IU.W0I3 

UB8AS4 


THE 


BIBLE  CATECHIST 


AN  INSTRUCTION 

IN 

BIBLICAL  INTRODUCTION  FOR  THE  YOUNG 


BT  THE 

Rev.  W.  H.  GILL,  D.D. 

Author  of  “  The  Temple  Opened  ” 


PHILADELPHIA 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION 
AND  SABBATH-SCHOOL  WORK 


No.  1334  Chestnut  Street 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


33 


151/..  How  alone,  could  such  a  problem  as  this  be  solved  f 

By  actual  experiment,  putting  some  one  to  the  test.  Job 
in  this  case  was  the  subject  of  the  experiment,  Satan  being 
allowed  of  God  to  put  him  to  the  severest  tests  that  even 
his  malignant  ingenuity  could  devise.  This  poem  might 
therefore  be  very  appropriately  entitled  ‘  4  The  Temptation 
of  Job,”  even  as  the  ordeal  to  which  our  Lord  was  sub¬ 
jected  by  the  same  adversary  in  the  wilderness  is  called 
“  The  Temptation  of  Christ;”  and,  indeed,  the  former 
is  typical  of  the  latter. 

155.  What  erroneous  theory  of  God's  government  obtained 
in  Job's  day  ? 

That  prosperity  was  the  reward  bestowed  upon  goodness, 
and  that  adversity  was  a  sure  sign  of  wickedness,  either 
concealed  or  manifest.  Hence  men  concluded  that  because 
J ob  was  a  great  sufferer  he  was  therefore  a  great  sinner. 
This,  indeed,  was  Job’s  own  theory,  and  it  added  greatly  to 
his  perplexity  and  to  the  intensity  of  his  suffering  that  he 
was  unable,  the  while,  to  reconcile  his  afflictions  with  his 
conscious  integrity. 

156.  How  did  Job  stand  his  trial  f 

Though  not  without  occasional  and  violent  outbursts  of 
impatience,  yet  he  maintained  his  integrity  to  the  end,  so 
that  when  he  was  tried  he  came  forth  as  gold.  Thus  Sa¬ 
tan’s  allegation  was  proved  false.  The  patriarch  of  Uz  was 
not  mercenary  in  his  motives  in  serving  God. 

157.  With  what  other  Old  Testament  worthies  does  God 
link  the  name  of  Job  ? 

With  those  of  Noah  and  Daniel.  The  order  in  which 
they  are  mentioned  is  Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job  (Ez.  14:14,  20). 

158.  What  are  the  triplets  in  the  booh  of  Job  itself  f 

There  are  the  three  friends  of  Job — Eliphaz,  Bildad,  and 

Zophar;  the  three  animals  of  Job — the  Arabian  war-horse, 
the  behemoth,  and  the  leviathan ;  the  three  daughters  of 
Job — Jemima,  Kezia,  and  Karen-happuch. 

3 


34 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


159.  To  what  may  the  hook  of  Job  he  likened  ? 

To  a  gymnasium,  the  exercising  ground  for  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  spiritual  athletes,  or  to  a  furnace  in  which  metals 
are  assayed  or  tested. 

160,  What  is  the  nature  of  the  hook  of  Psalms  ? 

It  is  a  collection  of  sacred  odes,  one  hundred  and  fifty  in 
number,  and  which  constitutes  the  Praise -Book  not  only 
of  the  Jewish  Church,  but  also  of  some  sections  of  the 
Christian  Church  (Presbyterian)  as  well.  It  is  called  the 
Hebrew  Psalter,  as  modern  praise-books  are  called  church 
hymnals. 

161 •  What  is  the  difference  between  the  Psalms  and  other 
parts  of  Holy  Scripture  ? 

The  Psalms  are  purely  devotional  in  character.  In  other 
parts  of  Scripture  God  speaks  to  man,  but  in  the  Psalms 
man  speaks  to  God.  The  Psalms  are  the  outgrowth  of 
human  experience. 

162.  When  and  by  whom  were  these  Psalms  composed? 

The  Psalms  were  composed  by  various  authors  and  at  dif¬ 
ferent  eras  from  Moses  down  to  the  Restoration,  covering  a 
period  of  more  than  a  thousand  years.  The  Psalter  is  thus 
a  book  of  long  growth,  and  is  made  up  of  five  different 
volumes,  which  may  be  called  the  Psalter  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4, 
and  5,  very  much  as  our  “Gospel  Hymn”  books  have 
grown  and  are  so  named. 

163.  Why  are  these  songs  of  Zion  commonly  called  the 
“  Psalms  of  David  ”  ? 

Not  because  David  was  the  author  of  all,  but  because 
he  was,  in  all  probability,  the  largest  contributor  to,  and 
editor  of,  the  original  collection,  Psalter  No.  1  ;  and  as  each 
new  collection  was  added  to  the  first  volume,  the  whole  came 
to  be  called  by  the  name  of  the  “sweet  singer  of  Israel,” 
and  to  be  commonly  known  as  the  Psalms  of  David. 

16 If.  To  what  may  the  hook  of  Psalms  he  likened? 

To  a  conservatory  of  music  where  dwell  all  the  sons  and 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


'  35 

daughters  of  song,  with  cymbal,  trumpet,  psaltery,  and 
harp. 

165.  To  ichat  may  the  hook  of  Proverbs  he  compared  ? 

To  a  “Chamber  of  Commerce,”  where  may  be  found 

that  ancient  “wealth  of  nations”  whence  every  human 
mind  may  enrich  itself  with  the  wisdom  of  the  ages.  If 
the  book  is  not  a  rule  of  faith,  it  most  certainly  is  a  rule  of 
conduct  for  both  sexes  and  for  all  ages  and  conditions. 

166.  What  are  the  chief  subjects  touched  upon  in  this  hook 
of  Proverbs  ? 

They  are  such  as  filial  piety,  evil  company,  sensuality  and 
drunkenness,  lying  and  laziness,  strife  and  greed. 

167.  Who  is  the  author  of  the  hook  of  Proverbs  f 

The  book  is  of  composite  authorship,  like  the  Psalms, 
but  it  is  ascribed  to  Solomon,  the  “Grand  Monarque”  of 
Israel,  for  the  same  reason  that  the  Psalms  are  to  his 
royal  father — he  being  doubtless  the  largest  contributor  to 
the  collection  of  proverbs  therein  contained. 

168.  To  what  may  the  hook  of  Ecclesiastes  he  compared  ? 

To  the  penitentiary,  where  sorrowful  bankrupts  and  other 

moral  defaulters  may  remain  for  a  time  with  profit  in  com¬ 
pany  with  King  Solomon,  reflecting  over  the  follies  of  a 
misspent  life. 

169.  To  what  conclusion  does  the  preacher  in  Ecclesiastes 
come  ? 

That  to  fear  God  and  keep  His  commandments  is  at  once 
the  highest  wisdom,  as  it  is  the  whole  duty,  of  man. 

170.  What  is  the  key -word  of  Ecclesiastes  f 

“  Vanity  ” — which  occurs  twenty-five  times  in  the  course 
of  the  composition.  “Vanity  of  vanities,”  saith  the  preach¬ 
er — “Vanity  of  vanities  ;  all  is  vanity.” 

171.  What  learning  does  the  preacher  in  Ecclesiastes  ad¬ 
minister  to  the  fast  young  man  f 

“Rejoice,  0  young  man,  in  thy  youth  :  and  let  thy  heart 
cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in  the  ways 


36 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


of  thine  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes :  but  know 
thou  that  for  all  these  things  God  will  bring  thee  into  judg¬ 
ment.  ’  ’ 

172.  Wliat  good  advice  does  the  preacher  in  Ecclesiastes 
give  to  all  young  people  ? 

“Remember  now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth, 
while  the  evil  days  come  not,  nor  the  years  draw  nigh,  when 
thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them.” 

173.  What  is  the  nature  of  Canticles ,  or  the  Song  of 
Solomon  ? 

It  is  a  dramatic  love-song,  consisting  of  a  dialogue  be¬ 
tween  two  lovers — the  exquisite  celebration  of  a  pure  love 
in  humble  life — a  love  which  no  earthly  splendor  can  dazzle 
and  no  flattery  seduce.  The  piece  is  a  protest  against  the 
harem. 

17 If.  How  do  Christian  interpreters  look  upon  this  song? 

Some  of  them  regard  it  as  a  marriage-song  and  an  alle¬ 
gory — a  dialogue  between  the  bridegroom  and  the  bride, 
between  Christ  and  His  Church. 

175.  To  what  do  the  Jews  compare  these  three  hooks  of 
Solomon  ? 

To  the  temple — Proverbs  to  the  outer  court,  Ecclesiastes 
to  the  holy  place,  and  Canticles  to  the  holy  of  holies. 


THE  PROPHETICAL  BOOKS. 

176.  What  is  the  scriptural  idea  of  a  prophet  ? 

Not  a  mere  foreteller,  as  is  the  common  idea,  but  rather 
a  forthteller ,  one  who  speaks  for,  or  is  the  authorized  repre¬ 
sentative  of,  another. 

177.  What  were  the  Hebrew  prophets  ? 

They  were  the  representatives  of  Jehovah,  the  author¬ 
ized  and  inspired  expounders  or  interpreters  of  His  will. 
The  Hebrew  prophets  were,  in  fact,  the  preachers  of  their 
time,  predictions  being  only  an  incidental  function  of  their 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


37 


office ;  and  the  prophetical  books  contain  the  sermons  of 
these  inspired  preachers. 

178.  Were  the  Hebrew  prophets  limited  to  the  male  sex  ? 

No ;  Miriam,  Deborah,  and  Huldah  were  shining  lights  in 
this  goodly  fellowship. 

179.  What  is  the  history  of  the  prophetic  order  f 

Its  foundations  were  laid  in  Samuel,  at  the  close  of  the 
theocracy;  it  flourished  during  the  monarchy,  and  remained 
a  power  till  the  work  of  restoration  was  complete ;  after 
which,  for  400  years,  until  the  appearance  of  John  the 
Baptizer,  the  forerunner  of  our  Lord,  the  voice  of  the 
prophet  was  no  longer  heard  in  the  land. 

180.  How  many  prophets  are  represented  by  their  sermons 
in  the  Old  Testament  Canon  f 

Sixteen:  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  Daniel,  Hosea,  Joel, 
Amos,  Obadiah,  Jonah,  Micah,  Nahum,  Habakkuk,  Zeph- 
aniah,  Haggai,  Zechariah,  and  Malachi. 

181.  Are  there  more  prophetical  boohs  than  p  rophets  in  the 
Old  Testament  Canon  f 

Yes;  besides  the  book  which  bears  his  name,  Jeremiah 
wrote  Lamentations  also,  making  seventeen  sermon-books  or 
books  of  prophecy,  and  but  sixteen  prophets  or  preachers  in 
this  division  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures. 

182.  When  did  these  canonical  prophets  flourish  ? 

Beginning  with  Jeroboam  II.  of  Israel,  about  800  B.  C., 

they  flourished  during  the  last  half  of  the  monarchical 
period,  during  the  time  of  the  Babylonian  captivity,  and  on 
to  the  close  of  the  restoration  era,  covering  a  period  of 
some  400  years. 

183.  Into  what  three  classes  may  these  sixteen  canonical 
prophets  be  divided? 

Accordingly  as  they  lived  before,  during,  or  after  the  Baby¬ 
lonian  captivity — which  is  the  great  epoch  in  the  later  He¬ 
brew  history,  to  which  every  event  is  referred — they  may 
be  regarded  as  pre-exile  prophets,  prophets  of  the  exile 


38 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


(captivity),  and  post-exile  prophets,  or  the  prophets  of  the 
restoration. 

18Jf.  Which  were  the  prophets  of  the  restoration  f 

The  last  three  in  the  list — Haggai,  Zechariah,  and  Mal- 
achi. 

185.  Which  were  the  prophets  of  the  exile  f 

These  were  two,  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  both  of  whom  spoke 
and  wrote  in  Babylon. 

186.  How  many  and  which  were  the  pre-exile  prophets  ? 

There  were  eleven:  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Hosea,  Joel,  Amos, 

Obadiah,  Jonah,  Micah,  Nahum,  Habakkuk,  and  Zeph- 
aniah. 

187.  What  is  an  easy  way  to  ascertain  the  names  of  the 
pre-exile  prophets  f 

Cut  off  from  the  list  the  last  three,  the  prophets  of  the 
restoration,  strike  out  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  the  prophets  of 
the  captivity,  and  the  remaining  eleven  are  the  pre-exile 
prophets.  Some  think  that  Obadiah  lived  during  the  exile, 
though  his  prophecy  is  directed  against  Edom,  with  only  an 
incidental  allusion  to  the  future  of  his  own  people. 

188.  How  are  the  prophetical  hooks  divided  as  regards 
their  length? 

Into  two  classes — major  and  minor ;  the  first  five  books 
being  reckoned  as  major,  and  the  remaining  twelve  as 
minor. 

189.  What  are  the  names  of  the  hooks  which  compose  the 
Major  Prophets  ? 

Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Lamentations,  Ezekiel,  and  Daniel. 

190.  What  are  the  names  of  the  twelve  Minor  Prophets  ? 

Hosea,  Joel,  Amos,  Obadiah,  Jonah,  Micah,  Nahum, 

Habakkuk,  Zephaniah,  Haggai,  Zechariah,  Malachi. 

191.  Whence  do  these  prophetical  hoolcs  derive  their  names  ? 

They  are  called  by  the  names  of  their  authors  respec¬ 
tively,  except  “Lamentations,”  which  takes  its  name  from 
the  nature  of  the  contents  of  that  book,  being  a  wail  of 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


39 


Jeremiah  the  prophet?  over  the  desolation  of  the  holy  city 
Jerusalem  after  its  destruction  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  The 
book  of  Lamentations  is,  in  its  truest  sense,  a  jeremiad. 

192.  What  two  famous  prophets  of  Israel  are  not  repre¬ 
sented  in  the  Old  Testament  Canon  ? 

Elijah  and  Elisha.  These  flourished  in  Israel  at  an  ear¬ 
lier  period  than  the  canonical  prophets,  and  are  more  famous 
for  their  deeds  than  their  words.  They  were  acting  rather 
than  writing  prophets. 

193.  How  may  the  substance  of  the  canonical  prophecies 
be  briefly  expressed  ? 

By  the  three  alliteratives :  ruin,  repentance,  restoration. 

19 f  What  two  institutions  date  their  origin  from  the 
period  of  the  restoration  f 

The  synagogue,  the  local  religious  meeting-house  of  the 
Jews,  and  the  order  of  Scribes,  of  both  of  which  Ezra  was 
the  founder. 

195.  What  was  the  political  status  of  the  Jewish  people 
during  the  500  years  interval  between  Malachi  and  Mat¬ 
thew  f 

They  were  successively  tributary  to  the  Persians,  Greeks, 
Syrians,  and  Romans,  save  the  century  or  so  of  independ¬ 
ence  they  achieved  and  maintained  under  the  heroic  lead 
of  the  Asmoneans  or  Maccabean  princes.  They  were  under 
the  dominion  of  Rome  when  Christ  came. 

196.  What  important  event  affecting  the  Hebrew  Scrip¬ 
tures  took  place  between  Malachi  and  Matthew  ? 

They  were  translated  into  Greek,  as  is  commonly  sup¬ 
posed  by  seventy  persons ;  whence  the  name  of  the  ver¬ 
sion,  the  Septuagint  or  the  LXX.  This  translation  was 
necessary  to  meet  the  want  of  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion, 
who  had  now  entirely  ceased  to  speak  the  Hebrew  language. 
Though  the  origin  of  this  oldest  version  of  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures  is  shrouded  in  the  deepest  obscurity,  it  must 
have  been  in  existence  between  two  and  three  centuries  be- 


40 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


fore  Christ.  It  was  from  this  Septuagint  version  of  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures  that  Christ  and  his  apostles 
most  frequently  quoted. 

197.  What  sects  with  which  ice  meet  in  the  New  Testament 
grew  up  during  this  J+00  years'  interval  f 

The  Scribes,  the  Pharisees,  the  Sadducees,  and  the  Her- 
odians. 

198 •  What  are  the  various  periods  in  Old  Testament 
story  ? 

The  Antediluvian  period,  from  the  Creation  to  the  Flood 
— 1656  years;  from  the  Flood  to  the  call  of  Abraham— 400 
years ;  from  the  call  of  Abraham  to  Moses  and  the  exodus 
from  Egypt — 400  years ;  from  Moses  to  the  monarch y,  that 
is,  the  period  of  the  theocracy — 400  years  ;  the  monarchical 
period — 500  years;  the  Babylonian  captivity — 70  years; 
from  the  captivity  to  the  close  of  the  restoration  era — 200 
years ;  and  from  the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures 
to  Christ — 400  years — all  in  round  numbers. 

199.  What  is  noteworthy  about  these  chronological  data  t 

The  predominance  of  the  400-year  period  in  which  God 

has  been  pleased  to  carry  on  the  operations  of  His  provi¬ 
dence  in  the  history  of  redemption.  Nearly  all  these 
periods,  if  not  exactly  400  years,  are  either  a  multiple  of 
400  or  a  fraction  thereof.  In  addition  to  the  other  quarto- 
centenary  periods  already  mentioned,  the  period  during 
which  the  canonical  prophets  flourished  was  one  of  400 
years. 

200.  Who  are  the  epoch-maldng  characters  of  the  Old 
Testament  period  ? 

Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  David,  and  Ezra. 

THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 

201.  What  is  the  New  Testament? 

The  second  grand  division  of  the  Bible,  commonly  called 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


41 


the  New  Testament  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ. 

202.  Of  what  is  the  New  Testament  composed  f 

Of  twenty-seven  distinct  literary  compositions  commonly 
called  books.  Like  the  Old  Testament,  which  is  composed 
of  thirty -nine  books,  it  is  a  library  of  sacred  literature  rather 
than  a  single  volume. 

203.  By  whom  were  these  twenty-seven  hooks  written  ? 

By  at  least  eight  different  authors  :  thirteen  by  the  apos¬ 
tle  Paul ;  five  by  the  apostle  John  ;  two  by  the  apostle  Pe¬ 
ter  ;  two  by  the  evangelist  Luke  ;  one  each  by  the  evange¬ 
lists  Matthew  and  Mark  ;  and  one  each  by  the  apostles 
James  and  Jude.  The  authorship  of  the  “Hebrews”  is 
in  dispute,  but  it  is  commonly  ascribed  to  Paul,  which 
makes  his  contribution  to  the  New  Testament  fourteen 
books. 

204.  When  were  the  hooks  of  the  New  Testament  written  f 

Unlike  those  of  the  Old  Testament,  whose  writing  ex¬ 
tended  over  a  period  of  more  than  1000  years — from  Moses 
to  Malachi — the  books  of  the  New  Testament  were  all  writ¬ 
ten  during  the  last  half  of  the  first  century  of  the  Christian 
era,  and  most  of  them  during  the  third  quarter  of  that  cen¬ 
tury. 

205.  What  is  the  common  classification  of  the  hooks  of  the 
New  Testament? 

Like  those  of  the  Old  Testament,  they  are  commonly 
grouped  under  four  heads :  the  Gospels,  the  Acts,  the 
Epistles,  and  the  book  of  Revelation. 

206.  As  to  the  character  of  their  contents ,  how  may  these 
four  divisions  he  respectively  described  ? 

The  Gospels  are  biographic ;  the  Acts,  historic  ;  the  Epis¬ 
tles,  didactic ;  and  the  Revelation,  apocalyptic. 

207.  What  are  the  names  of  the  hooks  of  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment  ? 

The  four  gospels — Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  and  John  ;  the 


42 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


Acts ;  the  fourteen  epistles  of  Paul  the  apostle — that  to  the 
Romans,  the  two  to  the  Corinthians,  the  one  each  to  the 
Galatians,  Ephesians,  Philippians,  and  Colossians,  the  two 
each  to  the  Thessalonians  and  to  Timothy,  and  the  one  each 
to  Titus  and  Philemon,  and  that  to  the  “Hebrews;”  the 
seven  non-Pauline  espistles — the  one  of  James,  the  two  of 
Peter,  the  three  of  John,  and  the  one  of  Jude;  and  the 
book  of  Revelation. 

208.  W  hat  is  the  grand  theme  of  the  New  Testament ,  and 
how  are  its  various  classes  of  hooks  related  thereto? 

The  grand  theme  of  the  New  Testament  is  the  Christian 
Church ;  and  the  biographic  gospels  tell  us  of  its  Founder 
and  Head,  who  is  Christ;  the  historical  book  of  the 
‘  'Acts  ’  ’  tells  us  of  its  founding  by  the  apostles  ;  the  didactic 
epistles  contribute  to  its  upbuilding  or  edification  ;  while  the 
book  of  Revelation  opens  up  to  us  its  future.  The  Christian 
Church  :  its  Founder,  its  founding,  its  edification,  its  future. 

209.  In  what  language  were  the  hooks  of  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment  originally  written  ? 

In  Greek,  the  then  universal  language  of  the  civilized 
world — a  circumstance  which  emphasizes,  as  well  as  any¬ 
thing  can,  the  universal  or  catholic  design  of  the  New  Dis¬ 
pensation. 


THE  FOURFOLD  GOSPEL. 

210.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  “ gospel  ”  ? 

It  means  “good  news”  or  “glad  tidings;  ”  and  the  four 
gospels  are  so  called  because  they  proclaim  the  advent  of 
the  Son  of  God  for  the  salvation  of  sinners. 

211.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  contents  of  these  four 
gospels  ? 

They  tell  us  all  we  know  of  the  birth,  life,  and  death  of 
our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  They  are  biographi¬ 
cal,  while  not  pretending  to  be  full  and  complete  biographies. 
They  are  memoirs  or  memorabilia  rather  than  biographies. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


43 


212.  In  what  character  do  the  four  evangelists  respectively 
present  Jesus  f 

It  is  the  supreme  purpose  of  Matthew  to  set  forth  the 
messiahship  of  Jesus  ;  that  of  Mark,  the  majesty  of  Jesus  ; 
that  of  Luke,  the  humanity  of  Jesus;  and  that  of  John, 
the  godhood  or  divinity  of  Jesus. 

213.  How  do  the  first  three  gospels  differ  from  the  fourth  ? 

The  first  three,  the  “synoptics,”  as  they  are  called,  being 

an  account  mainly  of  what  our  Lord  said  and  did,  His  mir¬ 
acles  and  teaching  as  He  went  about  among  the  masses,  are 
about  Christ  simply ;  while  the  fourth,  the  gospel  accord¬ 
ing  to  John,  reveals  to  us  the  interior  life  of  our  Lord,  and 
brings  before  us  Christ  Himself.  The  contents  of  this 
gospel  were  addressed  mainly  to  “the  Jews” — that  is,  to 
the  rulers  of  the  people.  It  is  pre-eminently  the  spiritual 
gospel — the  heart  of  Christ. 

2 Ilf.  What  are  the  characteristics  of  the  four  gospels  re¬ 
spectively  ? 

The  first  is  the  gospel  of  discourses  and  of  the  parables 
of  the  kingdom  ;  the  second  is  anecdotal  in  its  character, 
and,  being  composed  largely  of  the  miracles  of  our  Lord,  is 
the  gospel  of  the  mighty  works  ;  the  third  is  distinguished 
by  the  fullness  of  its  narratives  of  the  infancy  of  Jesus 
and  its  wealth  of  parables;  while  the  fourth  is  pre-emi¬ 
nently  the  gospel  of  conversations  or  dialogues. 

215.  What  are  the  hey -words  of  the  four  gospels  respec¬ 
tively  f 

The  key- word  of  Matthew  is  “fulfilled ;  ”  those  of  Mark, 
“straightway,”  “immediately,”  and  “forthwith,”  the 
word  in  the  Greek  being  the  same  for  all  three,  and  occur¬ 
ring  forty-five  times;  those  of  Luke,  “And  it  came  to 
pass;”  and  those  of  John,  “Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you.” 

210.  W hat  are  the  great  fads ,  common  to  the  four  evan¬ 
gelists ,  which  make  the  gospel  good  news  to  men  f 


44 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


The  incarnation,  the  life,  the  death,  and  the  resurrection 
of  our  Lord. 

217.  How  many  of  our  Lord's  miracles  and  parables  are 
recorded  in  the  gospels  f 

Thirty-six  miracles  and  about  thirty  parables. 

218.  How  often  did  our  Lord  speak  on  the  cross ,  and  how 
many  times  did  He  appear  after  His  resurrection  ? 

He  uttered  seven  sayings  on  the  cross,  and  appeared  ten 
times  after  His  resurrection. 

219.  How  many  persons  did  our  Lord  raise  from  the 
dead  f 

Three  :  Jairus’  daughter ;  the  son  of  the  widow  of  Nain ; 
and  His  friend  Lazarus,  the  brother  of  Martha  and  Mary. 

220.  How  long  did  our  Lord' s  public  ministry  last  ? 

Three  years  or  about  that  time. 

221.  What  event  in  our  Lord's  history  is  common  to  all 
the  evangelists  ? 

His  passion.  Nearly  one-third  of  the  entire  gospels  is 
taken  up  with  the  history  of  the  last  seven  days  of  our 
Lord’s  life. 

222.  What  places  were  identified  with  the  principal  events 
in  our  Lord's  life  ? 

Bethlehem,  where  He  was  born  ;  Nazareth,  where  He  was 
brought  up ;  Capernaum,  “His  own  city,”  where  He  dwelt 
during  His  public  ministry;  and  Jerusalem,  where  He  was 
crucified. 

223.  How  many  times  was  our  Lord  put  upon  His  trial  ? 

Five :  before  Annas,  Caiaphas,  and  Pilate  the  first  time ; 

before  Herod ;  and  then  before  Pilate  the  second  time, 
when  He  was  delivered  to  be  crucified. 

221f.  What  length  of  time  elapsed  between  our  Lord's 
resurrection  and  ascension  ? 

Forty  days,  during  which  time  He  showed  Himself  alive 
to  His  apostles  by  many  infallible  proofs,  and  spoke  to  them 
of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


45 


225.  What  are  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  our 
Lord's  teaching  as  exhibited  in  the  gospels  ? 

Authority,  originality,  spirituality,  tenderness,  benevo¬ 
lence,  and  practicalness. 

226.  What  are  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  f 

The  three  pairs  of  brothers — Peter  and  Andrew,  the  sons 
of  Jonas;  James  and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee;  and 
James  and  Jude,  the  sons  of  Alpheus;  Philip  and  Bar¬ 
tholomew  ;  Thomas  and  Matthew  ;  Simon  the  zealot ;  and 
Judas  Iscariot,  who  also  betrayed  Jesus. 

227.  What  were  the  qualifications  and  functions  of  the 
apostles  f 

The  apostles  were  ambassadors  extraordinary  and  minis¬ 
ters  plenipotentiary  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  chosen  and 
commissioned  by  Himself.  They  were  inspired  and  endowed 
with  the  “gift  of  miracles.”  As  preachers  of  the  gospel 
the  apostles  were  to  be  witnesses  of  Christ  as  to  His  doc¬ 
trine,  His  manner  of  life,  and  especially  of  His  death  and 
resurrection.  In  their  extraordinary  functions  the  apostles 
had  no  successors. 

THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 

228.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  contents  of  the  book  called 
“  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ’  ’  ? 

It  is  the  history  of  the  Apostolic  Church — of  the  founding 
or  planting  of  the  Christian  Church  in  the  world.  It  is  the 
sequel  to  the  third  gospel,  or  volume  the  second  of  the  evan¬ 
gelist  Luke’s  history  of  the  primitive  Christian  Church. 

229.  What  is  the  scope  of  this  history  of  the  Christian 
Church  by  Luke ,  as  given  in  these  two  volumes  ? 

In  it  he  traces  the  rise  and  growth  of  the  Christian 
Church  from  the  birth  of  its  Founder  and  Head  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Jewish  Church  to  its  complete  emancipation 
from  all  Jewish  trammels  and  its  establishment  among  the 


46 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


Gentiles,  equipped  for  its  work  and  secure  of  its  mission, 
the  conquest  of  the  world. 

230.  What  icas  the  supreme  purpose  of  the  evangelist  in 
these  two  volumes ,  the  gospel  and  the  history  f 

In  the  history  it  is  manifestly  the  author’s  purpose  to  give 
a  complete  and  precise  view  of  that  mighty  religious  revolu¬ 
tion  by  which  God  transferred  His  kingdom  from  the  Jews 
to  the  Gentiles  ;  even  as  in  the  gospel  it  was  his  chief 
design  to  show  how  our  Lord  Himself  was,  by  His  cruci¬ 
fixion  at  the  hands  of  His  own  people,  emancipated  from 
all  Jewish  restrictions  to  become  the  King  of  men,  irre¬ 
spective  of  race  or  nationality. 

231.  What  is  the  connecting-link  between  the  two  volumes , 
the  gospel  and  the  history  ? 

The  ascension  of  our  Lord.  This  event  forms  at  once 
the  climax  of  the  history  of  the  Church’s  Founder  in  the 
gospel  and  the  starting-point  for  the  history  of  the  found¬ 
ing  of  the  Church  in  the  Acts.  The  goal  in  the  one 
writing,  it  is  the  foundation  of  the  other. 

232.  Does  this  book  contain  the  1 4  acts  ’  ’  of  all  the  apostles 
of  our  Lord  f 

No;  of  the  original  twelve,  only  three,  Peter,  John,  and 
Janies,  are  specially  mentioned  in  the  history  as  taking  a 
prominent  part  in  the  “actings”  it  records;  while  Paul, 
the  last  chosen  and  commissioned  apostle,  who  was  as  “one 
born  out  of  due  time,”  takes  up  a  large  share  of  the  space 
in  the  interesting  narration.  The  Acts  is  not  designed  to 
be  a  history  of  the  apostles,  but  a  record  of  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  the  Christian  Church. 

233.  What  is  the  scope  of  the  history  in  this  book  of  the 
Acts  f 

It  recounts  the  story  of  the  founding  and  extension  of 
the  Christian  Church  from  Jerusalem,  the  ecclesiastical 
capital,  to  Home,  the  political  metropolis  of  the  world.  It 
begins  with  Pentecost,  and  ends  with  Paul  a  prisoner  “in 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


47 


his  own  hired  house  ”  in  the  city  of  the  Caesars,  “  preaching 
the  kingdom  of  God  .  .  .  with  all  confidence,  no  man  for¬ 
bidding  him. 1  ’ 

23f  How  may  the  history  in  the  Acts  he  divided  ? 

Into  two  parts  :  the  first  part  detailing  the  history  of  the 
planting  of  the  Church  among  the  Jews,  and  the  second 
part  the  planting  of  the  Church  among  the  Gentiles.  The 
first  part  has  the  apostle  Peter  for  its  centre ;  the  second, 
the  apostle  Paul.  Around  these  two  leading  characters  the 
entire  history  in  the  book  is  grouped. 

235.  What  was  the  point  of  transition  in  the  passage  of 
the  Church  from  the  Jcios  to  the  Gentiles  ? 

The  vision  of  the  apostle  Peter  on  the  house-top  in  Joppa, 
an  account  of  which  is  given  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  this 
history. 

236.  Who  are  the  Gentiles  f 

All  that  part  of  the  entire  population  of  the  globe  who 
are  not  Jews.  Between  these  two  peoples  the  entire  human 
race  is  divided.  All  who  are  not  Jews  are  Gentiles. 

237 .  What  is  the  first  great  occurrence  related  in  this  his¬ 
tory  in  the  Acts  ? 

The  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  Pentecost,  when  three 
thousand  souls  were  converted  in  one  day. 

238.  Who  are  the  three  persons  in  the  Acts  whose  names 
begin  with  Pf 

Peter  and  Paul,  apostles,  and  Philip  the  evangelist. 

239.  How  may  the  relation  of  the  apostles  Peter  and  Paul 
to  the  Christian  Church  he  expressed? 

Peter  was  the  opener,  and  Paul  was  the  planter — the  first 
and  grandest  of  Christian  missionaries. 

2Jf,0.  Who  were  the  first  Christian  martyrs  according  to 
this  history  in  the  Acts  ? 

Stephen  the  deacon  was  the  first  or  proto-martyr,  and 
the  apostle  James  the  second  in  this  now  glorious  com¬ 
pany. 


48 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


21+1.  What  tragedies  are  recorded  in  this  history  in  the 
Acts  f 

The  death  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira  the  pretenders ;  the 
stoning  of  Stephen ;  the  killing  of  James  the  apostle  ;  and 
the  death  of  the  cruel  and  vainglorious  Herod,  who  was 
eaten  of  worms  and  gave  up  the  ghost, 

2Jf2.  Are  there  any  miracles  recorded  in  this  history  in 
the  Acts  ? 

Yes;  twenty  specific  miracles  of  a  ph37sical  character,  two 
of  which  are  the  raising  of  the  dead— Dorcas  by  the  apostle 
Peter,  and  the  young  man  Eutychus  by  the  apostle  Paul. 
By  far  the  greatest  miracle  in  the  book,  however— the  one 
which  has  been  attended  with  the  most  beneficent  and  far- 
reaching  effects — was  a  miracle  of  grace,  the  conversion  of 
Saul  of  Tarsus,  who  became  the  glorious  Christian  hero  of 
this  history — Paul,  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentile  world. 

24S.  How  many  capital  cities  are  associated  with  the 
planting  of  the  Christian  Church ,  according  to  the  history 
in  the  Acts  ? 

Four:  Jerusalem,  “the  mother  of  us  all;”  Antioch  in 
Syria,  the  mother  church  of  Gentile  Christendom ;  Ephe¬ 
sus  in  Asia  Minor,  the  great  religious  and  literary  centre 
where  Paul  preached  and  John  dwelt;  and  Rome  in  Italy, 
the  city  of  the  Caesars,  the  political  centre  and  capital  of  the 
then  civilized  world. 

244.  To  whose  agency  was  the  success  of  the  efforts  of  the 
apostles  in  founding  the  Christian  Church  due  f 

To  that  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Third  Person  of  the 
adorable  Trinity,  upon  Whose  co-operation  we  must  still  de¬ 
pend  for  every  success  in  soul-winning  and  genuine  Church 
extension. 


THE  EPISTLES. 

245.  What  relation  do  the  Epistles  sustain  to  the  ‘ 1  Acts  ’  ’  f 
The  writing  of  these  several  letters  was  among  the  “acts 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


49 


of  the  apostles,”  as  they  are  themselves  a  part  of  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  founding  and  edification  of  the  early  Christian 
Church.  The  epistles  bear  the  same  relation  to  the  history 
in  the  1  'Acts  ’  ’  that  the  books  of  prophecy  in  the  Old  Tes¬ 
tament  do  to  the  historical  books  therein.  They  are  mutu¬ 
ally  interpretative,  each  serving  to  throw  light  upon  the 
other.  This  is  more  especially  true  of  the  Pauline  epistles 
and  the  Acts. 

21+6.  How  many  epistles  compose  this  New  Testament  col¬ 
lection  ? 

Twenty-one — the  fourteen  of  the  apostle  Paul,  being  two- 
thirds  of  the  whole  number;  the  three  of  the  apostle  John; 
the  two  of  the  apostle  Peter  ;  and  the  one  each  of  the  apos¬ 
tles  James  and  Jude. 

21+7.  What  is  the  common  classification  of  these  epistles  ? 

They  are  commonly  grouped  under  two  heads — Pauline 
and  catholic  or  general.  Since,  however,  the  latter  term 
does  not  properly  designate  a  number  of  the  letters  em¬ 
braced  under  it,  a  more  accurate  classification  is  Pauline 
and  non-Pauline. 

THE  PAULINE  EPISTLES. 

21+8.  What  are  the  names  of  the  Pauline  epistles  ? 

They  are  those  to  the  Eomans,  the  Corinthians  (2),  the 
Galatians,  the  Ephesians,  the  Philippians,  the  Colossians, 
and  the  Thessalonians  (2) ;  and  those  to  Timothy  (2),  Titus, 
Philemon,  and  the  Hebrews.  Nine  are  addressed  to  seven 
different  Christian  congregations,  four  to  individuals,  and 
one — that  to  the  Hebrews — to  the  whole  body  of  Jewish 
Christians  wherever  found. 

21+9.  What  are  the  epistles  to  Timothy  and  Titus  commonly 
called t 

The  “  pastoral  epistles,”  for  the  reason  that  they  are  ad¬ 
dressed  to,  and  abound  in  practical  counsels  for,  young  min¬ 
isters. 


4 


50 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


250.  What  is  the  character  of  the  other  Pauline  epistles  ? 

With  the  exception  of  that  to  Philemon,  which  is  a  letter 

of  intercession  in  behalf  of  his  runaway  but  penitent  slave 
Onesimus,  they  are  nearly  all  of  a  doctrinal  character,  but 
contain  also  practical  instruction  for  the  edification  of  the 
churches  in  general  and  their  individual  members  in  par¬ 
ticular. 

251.  What  are  the  four  dominant  ideas  of  the  Pauline 
epistles  f 

Spirituality  as  opposed  to  ritualism  or  the  mere  ceremo¬ 
nies  of  religion ;  catholicity,  or  all  humanity,  as  opposed  to 
a  particular  people  or  a  favored  class ;  a  pure  life  as  over 
against  mere  orthodoxy  ;  and  personal  attachment  to  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  supreme  motive  to  a  pure  life.  These  four 
ideas  —  spirituality,  catholicity,  a  pure  life,  and  Jesus 
Christ — are  distinctively  Pauline. 

252.  What  may  he  regarded  as  the  golden  text  of  the 
Pauline  epistles  f 

u  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  Whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto 
me,  and  I  unto  the  world”  (Gal.  6  :  14). 

253.  What  is  the  grandest  generalization  in  the  Pauline 
epistles  ? 

This:  “  In  Christ  Jesus  neither  circumcision  availeth 
anything,  nor  uncircumcision,  but  a  new  creature ;  faith, 
which  worketh  by  love,  and  the  keeping  of  the  command¬ 
ments  of  God”  (Gal.  6  :  15 ;  5:6  ;  1  Cor.  7  :  19). 

25 f  What  is  the  most  comprehensive  exhortation  in  the 
Pauline  epistles  f 

This:  “I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mer¬ 
cies  of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice, 
holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  reasonable  service  ” 
(Rom.  12:1). 

255.  When  were  these  Pauline  epistles  written  ? 

In  the  early  part  of  the  second  half  of  the  first  Christian 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


51 


century ;  that  is,  between  A.  D.  52  and  A.  D.  68,  embracing  a 
period  of  sixteen  years. 


THE  NON-PAULINE  EPISTLES. 

256.  How  many  and  what  are  the  non-Pauline  epistles  ? 

They  are  seven  in  number,  and,  in  the  order  in  which 

they  are  found  in  the  New  Testament  Canon,  are  as  follows : 
the  one  of  the  apostle  James,  the  two  of  the  apostle  Peter, 
the  three  of  the  apostle  John,  and  that  of  the  apostle  Jude. 

257.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  manner  of  naming  the 
Pauline  and  non-Pauline  epistles  f 

The  Pauline  epistles  are  known  by  the  names  of  the 
churches  or  the  particular  body  of  Christians  to  which  they 
were  addressed ;  while  the  non-Pauline  epistles  are  known 
by  the  names  of  the  persons  by  whom  they  were  written. 

258.  What  other  group  of  letters  is  there  in  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament  besides  these  twenty-one  canonical  epistles  ? 

There  are  the  letters  of  the  apostle  John  to  the  seven 
churches  of  Asia — the  churches  of  Ephesus,  Smyrna,  Per- 
gamos,  Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia,  and  Laodicea  (Rev. 
2  :  3). 

259.  How  can  it  be  made  to  appear  that  there  are  two 
letters  to  the  Ephesians  and  two  to  the  Hebrews  in  the  New 
Testament  ? 

Besides  the  canonical  epistle  of  the  apostle  Paul  to  the 
Ephesians,  there  is  that  of  the  apostle  John  in  the  book  of 
Revelation  to  the  same  people ;  and  in  addition  to  the  ca¬ 
nonical  epistle  of  the  apostle  Paul  to  the  Hebrews,  there  is 
also  the  canonical  epistle  of  the  apostle  James  to  the  Twelve 
Tribes,  which  embraced  the  whole  of  the  Hebrew  people. 

260.  How  may  the  Epistle  of  James  be  described  ? 

As  the  letter  of  the  apostle  Paul  to  Philemon  may  be 
characterized  as  the  looking-glass  for  the  Christian  gentle¬ 
man,  so  this  epistle  of  James  may  be  described  as  the  look- 


ubrary 


of  «u«« 


52 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


ing-glass  of  the  believer — the  touchstone  of  Christian  char¬ 
acter.  James  declaims  with  great  energy  on  the  glory  of 
practical  virtue,  confining  himself  almost  exclusively  to  an 
earnest  insistence  on  Christian  practice. 

261.  What  is  the  nature  of  the  two  epistles  of  the  apostle 
Peter ? 

The  first  abounds  in  incentives  to  Christian  perseverance 
in  view  of  impending  trials  and  persecutions;  while  the 
second,  which  is  the  apostle’s  valedictory,  is  a  warning 
against  apostasy,  the  antidote  for  which  is  progressive  piety 
and  implicit  trust  in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

262.  What  are  the  five  precious  things  of  the  apostle 
Peter  ? 

Faith  itself ;  the  trial  of  faith ;  the  promises,  which  are 
exceeding  great  as  well  as  precious ;  the  blood  of  Christ 
with  which  we  are  redeemed ;  and  Christ  Himself,  who  is 
to  the  believer  above  all  things  precious. 

263.  Does  the  apostle  Peter  speak  or  write  as  if  he  were 
pope  f 

No  ;  in  no  instance  does  he  lay  claim  to  any  such  primacj^ 
or  ecclesiastical  supremacy.  On  the  contrary,  in  the  Acts 
he  appears  as  only  a  member  of  the  first  great  council  in 
Jerusalem,  of  which  James  was  the  moderator  or  presiding 
officer;  while  in  his  letters  he  writes  to  the  u elders,”  ex¬ 
horting  them  as*one  of  themselves,  being  himself  also  “an 
elder.”  The  apostle  Peter  was  undoubtedly  primus  inter 
pares — the  first  among  equals — but  possessed  no  official 
superiority  above  his  brethren. 

26 f  Of  how  many  hooks  of  the  New  Testament  was  the 
apostle  John  the  author  ? 

Five ;  besides  these  three  epistles,  he  wrote  also  the  fourth 
gospel  and  the  Apocalypse  or  the  Revelation — the  last  book 
of  the  Bible. 

265.  What  prominence  did  John  have  among  the  brethren 
of  the  apostolic  college  f 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


53 


He  was  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  he  outlived 
all  his  brethren,  so  that  his  writings  are  the  latest  utterance 
of  any  inspired  man.  John  was  therefore  the  “apostle  of 
completion.”  Peter  was  the  opener,  Paul  the  planter,  and 
John  the  finisher. 

266.  What  is  peculiar  about  these  three  epistles  ascribed  to 
the  apostle  John  t 

Like  “the  Hebrews,”  they  are  anonymous,  the  name  of 
the  apostle  nowhere  appearing  in  any  one  of  them.  In 
other  ways,  however,  it  is  known  that  the  beloved  disciple 
was  their  author. 

267.  How  does  the  writer  describe  himself  in  the  second 
and  third  epistles  f 

As  “the  elder,”  who,  from  his  great  age,  character,  and 
position,  everybody  was  supposed  to  know.  Thus  John  and 
Peter  were  both  “  elders.” 

268.  How  does  the  first  epistle  of  John  differ  from  the 
other  two? 

The  first  epistle  of  J ohn  is  of  the  nature  of  a  treatise  or 
discourse  on  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  Christianity ;  while 
the  second  and  third  epistles  are  personal  letters,  the  former 
addressed  to  “  the  elect  body  and  her  children,”  and  the  latter 
to  “the  well-beloved  Gaius,”  a  benevolent  gentleman  whose 
hospitality  to  some  Christian  missionaries  greatly  endeared 
him  to  the  “beloved  disciple,”  and  whose  conduct  therein 
the  apostle  warmly  commends. 

269.  What  are  the  three  favorite  words  of  the  apostle  John 
which  begin  with  L  ? 

Life,  light,  love. 

270.  What  are  the  three  definitions  of  God  peculiar  to  the 
apostle  John  ? 

God  is  spirit ;  God  is  light ;  and  God  is  love. 

271.  What  is  the  most  characteristic  word  in  the  writings 
of  the  apostle  John  ? 

Love ;  which  occurs  fifty  times  in  his  gospel,  and  forty- 


54 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


five  times  in  Lis  first  epistle.  Love  God  and  be  like  Him— 
this  is  the  great  idea  of  the  beloved  disciple. 

272.  What  two  persons  whose  names  begin  with  D  are 
mentioned  in  the  tim'd  Epistle  of  John  ? 

Diotrephes,  u  who  loveth  to  have  the  prominence  among 
them,”  domineering,  dictatorial,  obstructive,  and  Demetrius 
(not  the  silversmith  of  the  Acts),  the  very  opposite  of  Dio¬ 
trephes  the  unlovely,  a  man  famous  for  his  generosity  and 
Christian  consistency.  Diotrephes  the  apostle  condemns ; 
Demetrius  he  commends. 

273.  What  is  the  gist  of  the  epistle  of  Jude  f 

It  is  a  bugle-blast  against  latitudinarianism,  and,  like 
second  Peter,  a  warning  against  apostasy. 

271}.  In  what  respect  does  the  epistle  of  Jude  resemble  the 
second  and  third  epistles  of  John  f 

In  respect  of  their  length.  They  are  all  three  short,  being 
each  composed  of  but  one  chapter.  They  are  the  briefest 
independent  portions  of  the  entire  Bible. 


THE  REVELATION. 

275.  By  what  name  is  the  booh  which  constitutes  the  fourth 
division  of  the  New  Testament  called  f 

The  Apocalypse ;  or,  the  Book  of  Revelation. 

276.  What  is  the  character  of  this  last  booh  of  the  New 
Testament  ? 

It  is  a  book  of  wonders — a  wonderful  book.  It  is  also  a 
book  of  seals,  even  as  it  is  in  itself  the  great  seal  of  the 
completed  volume  of  divine  truth — the  splendid  dome  of 
the  glorious  temple  of  Holy  Scripture. 

277.  What  is  the  grand  theme  of  the  Apocalypse  ? 

The  second  advent  of  Christ.  There  is  one  voice  in  all  its 
epistles,  seals,  trumpets,  vials,  plagues,  and  visions  of  glory 
and  joy — The  Lord  cometh  ! 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


55 


278.  What  is  the  one  grand  disclosure  the  Apocalypse 
makes  ? 

That  of  the  final  triumph  of  Christianity  over  all  its  ene¬ 
mies  and  opposers,  and  its  termination  in  an  endless  period 
of  glory  and  happiness. 

279.  To  what  are  the  triumphs  of  the  Christian  Church 
due ,  according  to  the  Apocalypse  ? 

The  Blood.  The  book  is  bathed  in  and  saturated  with  the 
Blood.  In  the  midst  of  its  most  heavenly  scenes  it  cele¬ 
brates  the  atoning  Blood.  Saints  sing  and  angels  speak  of 
redemption  through  the  Blood,  cleansing  in  the  Blood,  and 
victory  by  the  Blood  of  the  Lamb. 

280.  What  are  the  seven  classes  of  people  in  the  Apoca¬ 
lypse  who  are  called  blessed  ? 

The  doers  of  the  word,  the  dead  in  the  Lord,  the  vigilant, 
the  marriage  guests,  those  who  have  part  in  the  first  resur¬ 
rection,  the  keeper  of  the  sayings  of  the  prophecy  of  this 
book,  and  they  that,  doing  His  commandments,  wash  their 
robes — these  are  called  blessed. 

281.  How  many  lands  of  horses  are  there  in  the  Apoca¬ 
lypse  f 

Four :  the  white  horse  of  victory,  the  red  horse  of  war, 
the  black  horse  of  mourning,  and  the  pale  horse  of  devas¬ 
tation  and  death. 

282.  What  is  the  favorite  title  by  which  our  Lord  is  desig¬ 
nated  in  the  Revelation  f 

The  same  by  which  He  was  first  pointed  out  to  the  mul¬ 
titude  by  His  forerunner  upon  His  entrance  upon  His  public 
ministry — uThe  Lamb  of  God.”  From  the  beginning  to 
the  end,  throughout  the  long  conflict  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  glorious  issue,  there  is  still  the  one  title  for  Him  Who 
conquers  and  judges  and  reigns — uThe  Lamb.” 

288.  What  are  the  terms  in  which  the  grand  final  gospel 
invitation  of  the  Bible  is  couched  ? 

These :  “And  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say,  Come.  And 


56 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst 
come.  And  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  Water 
of  Life  FREELY.” 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 

281}.  Who  are  the  leading  human  personages  in  Genesis  f 

Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Joseph. 

285.  Who  is  the  leading  human  character  in  the  last  four 
hooks  of  the  Pentateuch  ? 

Moses,  the  deliverer,  the  lawgiver,  and  the  founder  of  the 
Hebrew  commonwealth. 

286.  Which  is  distinctively  the  law  hook  of  the  Penta¬ 
teuch  f 

Exodus ;  therein  is  contained  the  Moral  Law  or  the  Ten 
Commandments,  and  the  National  Covenant,  that  code  of 
laws  designed  for  the  special  government  of  the  Hebrew 
people. 

287.  Which  are  the  two  hooks  of  the  Bihle  called  after 
women  f 

Ruth  and  Esther. 

288.  In  what  two  hooks  of  the  Bihle  is  the  name  of  God 
not  found  f 

Canticles  (the  Song  of  Solomon)  and  Esther. 

289.  What  are  the  fifteen  pairs  of  Genesis  f 

The  first  pair — Adam  and  Eve ;  the  two  trees  of  the 
garden — the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  and  the  tree 
of  life  ;  the  first  murderer  and  his  victim — Cain  and  Abel ; 
the  two  lines  from  Adam  to  Noah — the  Cainites  and  the 
Sethites  ;  the  two  wives  of  Lamech  the  Cainite — Adah  and 
Zillah  ;  the  two  sons  of  Adah — Jabal  and  Jubal;  the  two 
children  of  Zillah — Tubal-cain  and  Naamah  his  sister;  the 
two  sons  of  Abraham — Isaac  and  Ishmael;  the  two  cities 
of  the  plain  destroyed  by  fire  from  heaven — Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  ;  the  names  of  the  two  sons  of  Lot’s  two  daugh- 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


57 


ters — Moab  and  Ammon ;  the  twin  sons  of  Isaac  and  Re- 
bekah — Jacob  and  Esau;  the  twin  sons  of  Tamar  the 
ancestress  of  our  Lord — Pharez  and  Zarah  ;  the  two  wives 
of  Jacob — Rachel  and  Leah  ;  and  his  two  concubines — Bil- 
hah  and  Zilpah  ;  the  two  sons  of  Rachel — J oseph  and  Ben¬ 
jamin  ;  and  the  two  sons  of  Joseph — Ephraim  and  Man- 
asseh. 

290.  What  are  the  seven  pairs  of  Exodus  f 

The  two  treasure  cities  built  for  Pharaoh  by  the  children 
of  Israel — Pithon  and  Raamses  ;  the  two  God-fearing  mid¬ 
wives  who  saved  the  men  children  of  the  Hebrews  alive, 
contrary  to  the  commandment  of  the  king — Shiprah  and 
Puah  ;  the  father  and  mother  of  Moses — Amram  and  Jo- 
cliebed ;  the  two  sons  of  Moses — Gershom  and  Eliezer ;  the 
brother  and  sister  of  Moses — Aaron  and  Miriam  ;  the  two 
aids  of  Moses — Aaron  and  Hur;  the  two  kinds  of  food 
furnished  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness — quails  and 
manna. 

291.  What  are  the  three  pairs  of  Leviticus  f 

The  two  sons  of  Aaron  who  were  slain  for  sacrilege — 
Nadab  and  Abihu ;  the  two  substitutes  for  these  slain 
priests — Eleazar  and  Ithamar;  the  two  pallbearers  of  Na¬ 
dab  and  Abihu — Mishael  and  Elzaphan. 

292.  What  are  the  three  pairs  of  Numbers  ? 

The  two  courageous  spies — Caleb  and  Joshua;  the  two 
kings  whom  Moses  slew  on  his  way  to  Canaan — Sihon,  king 
of  the  Amorites,  and  Og,  king  of  Bashan  ;  the  prince  of 
Israel  and  the  Midianitish  woman  who  were  slain  for  adul¬ 
tery — Zimri  and  Cozbi. 

293.  What  is  the  one  pair  of  Deuteronomy  ? 

Gerizim  and  Ebal — the  mount  of  blessing  and  the  mount 
of  cursing. 

29 If.  What  are  the  four  pairs  of  Judges  f 

The  two  heroines — Deborah  the  prophetess  and  Jael  the 
slayer  of  Sisera;  the  two  princes  of  Midian  whom  the 


58 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


Ephraimites  slew — Oreb  and  Zeeb ;  the  two  kings  of  Mid- 
ian  whom  Gideon  slew — Zebali  and  Zalmunna ;  the  two 
judges  famous  for  their  large  families — Ibzan,  who  had 
thirty  sons  an«d  as  many  daughters,  and  Abdon,  who  had 
forty  sons  and  thirty  nephews. 

295.  What  are  the  two  pairs  of  Ruth  f 

The  two  sons  of  Naomi — Mahlon  and  Chilion ;  and  her 
two  daughters-in-law — Orpah  and  Ruth. 

296.  What  are  the  seven  pairs  of  the  two  Samuels  f 

The  father  and  mother  of  Samuel — Elkanah  and  Hannah  ; 

the  two  wicked  sons  of  Eli  the  priest — Hophni  and  Phin- 
eas ;  the  two  degenerate  sons  of  Samuel — Joel  and  Abijah ; 
the  Damon  and  Pythias  of  the  Bible — David  and  Jonathan ; 
the  two  assassins  of  Ishbosheth,  Saul’s  son — Rechab  and 
Baanah ;  the  two  men  in  whose  houses  the  ark  of  God 
dwelt — Abinadab  and  Obed-edom  ;  the  two  men  who  drove 
the  cart  on  which  the  ark  was  put  to  be  carried  to  Jerusalem 
— Uzzah  and  Ahio. 

297.  What  are  the  six  pairs  of  the  two  Kings  f 

The  two  men  whom  Solomon  put  to  death  on  his  acces¬ 
sion  to  the  throne — Joab  and  Shimei ;  the  two  kingdoms 
into  which  the  empire  of  Solomon  was  divided — Israel  and 
Judah ;  the  two  centres  of  worship  which  Jeroboam,  the 
first  king  of  Israel,  designed  to  be  rivals  of  Jerusalem — 
Bethel  (in  the  south)  and  Dan  (in  the  north) ;  the  two  tribes 
which  remained  loyal  to  the  house  of  David — Judah  and 
Benjamin  ;  the  two  great  miracle-working  prophets  of  Is¬ 
rael — Elijah  and  Elisha ;  the  two  persons  who  wrere  raised 
from  the  dead — the  son  of  the  wridow  of  Zarephath  (by 
Elijah)  and  the  son  of  the  Shunammite  (by  Elisha). 

298.  What  are  the  two  pairs  of  Ezra,  ? 

Zerubbabel,  the  builder  of  the  second  temple,  and  Ezra, 
the  scribe  and  religious  reformer;  and  the  prophets  Haggai 
and  Zechariah,  who  aided  so  greatly  in  the  work  of  the 
restoration. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


59 


299.  What  are  the  three  pairs  in  the  prophets  f 

The  two  prophets  sent  to  Nineveh — Jonah  and  Nahum ; 
the  two  prophets  of  the  captivity — Ezekiel  and  Daniel ; 
the  two  adulterous  women  in  Ezekiel,  who  are  types  of  the 
spiritual  unfaithfulness  of  Samaria  and  Jerusalem — Aholali 
and  Aholiab. 

300.  What  are  the  seven  leading  pairs  of  the  gospels  f 

The  father  and  mother  of  John  the  Baptizer — Zechariah 

and  Elisabeth  ;  the  mother  of  our  Lord  and  her  husband — 
Mary  and  Joseph;  the  two  persons  mentioned  as  being 
present  in  the  temple  at  the  presentation  of  the  child 
Jesus — Simeon  and  Anna;  the  two  heavenly  visitants  at 
the  transfiguration  of  Jesus — Moses  and  Elijah ;  the  two 
friends  of  the  crucified  Saviour — Joseph  of  Arimathea  and 
Nicodemus;  the  two  women  who  were  last  at  the  cross  and 
first  at  the  sepulchre — Mary  Magdalene  and  Mary  the  mother 
of  James ;  the  two  of  the  twelve  who  ran  to  the  sepulchre — 
Peter  and  John. 

301.  Who  were  the  two  pairs  of  brothers  among  the 
twelve  apostles  f 

Peter  and  Andrew,  the  sons  of  Jonas  ;  James  and  John, 
the  sons  of  Zebedee. 

302.  What  are  the  nine  leading  pairs  in  the  Acts  f 

The  two  candidates  for  the  place  in  the  apostolic  college 
made  vacant  by  the  defection  and  death  of  Judas — Josepli- 
Justus  and  Matthias,  the  latter  of  whom  was  chosen ;  the 
two  leading  apostles  at  Pentecost — Peter  and  John  ;  the  two 
leading  apostles  in  the  history  in  the  Acts — Peter  and  Paul ; 
the  two  persons  punished  by  death  for  lying  and  hypocrisy — 
Ananias  and  Sapphira  ;  the  first  two  foreign  missionaries — 
Paul  and  Barnabas;  Paul’s  two  converts  at  Athens — Diony¬ 
sius  and  Damaris ;  the  two  governors  before  whom  Paul  was 
arraigned — Felix  and  Festus ;  the  first  two  Christian  mar¬ 
tyrs — Stephen  the  deacon  and  James  the  apostle;  the  two 
Koman  captains  into  whose  hands  Paul  fell — Lysias  and 


60 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


J ulius ;  the  two  persons  raised  from  the  dead — Dorcas  (by 
Peter  at  Joppa)  and  Eutyclms  (by  Paul  at  Troy). 

303.  What  are  the  four  pairs  of  Paul  f 

His  two  warm  friends  and  helpers — Aquila  and  his  wife 
Priscilla ;  the  two  disciples  he  ordained  as  ministers — Tim¬ 
othy  and  Titus ;  the  two  blasphemers  he  delivered  to  Satan 
— Hymeneus  and  Alexander ;  the  two  prominent  men  who 
turned  away  from  him  in  Asia  Minor — Phygellus  and  Her- 
mogenes. 

30f  What  are  four  great  trinities  in  the  Bible  f 

The  three  great  subjects  of  the  Bible — God,  man,  redemp¬ 
tion  ;  its  three  great  advents — that  of  Adam  upon  earth, 
that  of  Christ  for  salvation,  and  the  coming  of  Christ  to 
judgment ;  the  three  chief  Christian  graces — faith,  hope, 
love ;  the  trinity  of  trinities — Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit. 

305.  What  are  the  three  great  eras  of  the  worlds  history  f 

The  Patriarchal,  the  Mosaic,  and  the  Christian  eras. 

306.  What  are  the  three  great  periods  in  the  Jewish  national 
history  f 

The  theocracy  (from  Moses  to  the  monarchy),  the  mon¬ 
archy,  and  the  restoration. 

307.  What  is  the  division  of  the  threefold  historical  boohs 
which  cover  the  national  history  of  the  Jews  f 

The  period  of  the  theocracy— Joshua,  Judges,  and  Ruth ; 
the  period  of  the  monarchy — the  three  doubles — the  Sam¬ 
uels,  the  Kings,  and  the  Chronicles ;  the  period  of  the  res¬ 
toration — Ezra,  Nehemiah,  and  Esther. 

308.  What  is  the  threefold  division  of  the  prophets  ? 

The  pre-exile  prophets,  the  prophets  of  the  captivity,  and 
the  prophets  of  the  restoration. 

309.  W hat  are  the  six  leading  trinities  in  Genesis  f 

In  the  creation  story — God,  nature,  and  man ;  the  three 
sons  of  Adam — Cain,  Abel,  and  Seth  ;  the  three  sons  of 
Noah — Shem,  Ham,  and  Japheth  ;  the  three  sons  of  Zerah 
— Abraham,  Nalior,  and  Haran ;  the  three  great  ancestors 


THE.  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


61 


of  the  Hebrew  people — Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob;  the 
first  three  great  Oriental  empires — Egypt,  Chaldea,  and 
Assyria. 

310.  What  are  the  trinities  in  Exodus  f 

The  three  divisions  of  the  book  itself— Israel  in  Egypt, 
from  Egypt  to  Sinai,  and  the  transactions  at  Sinai;  the 
three  principal  events  at  Sinai — the  giving  of  the  law,  the 
lapse  and  restoration  of  the  people,  and  the  erection  of  the 
tabernacle. 

311.  What  triplet  is  mentioned  in  Leviticus  f 

The  three  great  annual  festivals  of  the  Jews — the  Pass- 
over,  Pentecost,  and  the  feast  of  Tabernacles — the  Harvest 
Home  of  the  Hebrew  people. 

312.  What  are  the  three  triplets  in  Numbers  f 

The  three  leading  subjects  of  the  book  itself— the  camp, 
the  march  toward  Canaan,  and  the  forty  years  in  the  wilder¬ 
ness  ;  the  three  rebels — Korah,  Hathan,  and  Abiram,  whom 
the  earth  swallowed ;  the  three  mountains  mentioned  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  history — Sinai,  whence  the  people  started 
on  their  march  to  Canaan,  Hor,  where  Aaron  died,  and 
Nebo  (Pisgah),  where  the  decease  of  Moses  took  place. 

313.  What  are  the  three  great  pentateuchal  prophecies 
respecting  Christ ? 

The  protevangelium  in  Genesis  (3 :  15) ;  the  star  and 
sceptre  prophecy  of  Balaam  in  Numbers  (24  :  17) ;  and  the 
prediction  of  Moses  in  Deuteronomy  (18  :  15)  that  a  great 
prophet  like  unto  himself  should  appear  amongst  the  people. 

3 Ilf.  What  are  the  two  triplets  in  Joshua  f 

The  three  cities  of  refuge  on  the  east  side  of  Jordan — 
Bezer  in  the  wilderness,  Bamoth  in  Gilead,  and  Golan  in 
Bashan  ;  and  the  three  on  the  west  side — Hebron  in  Judah, 
Shechem  in  Ephraim,  and  Kedesh  in  Galilee. 

315.  What  are  the  five  trinities  in  the  monarchical  books  f 

The  three  doubles  themselves — the  Samuels,  the  Kings, 
and  the  Chronicles;  the  three  sovereigns  of  the  united 


62 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


kingdom — Saul,  David,  and  Solomon ;  the  three  sons  of 
Zeruiah  who  were  too  much  for  King  David — Joab,  Abishai, 
and  Asahel ;  King  David’s  threefold  choice  as  a  punishment 
for  his  sin  in  numbering  the  people — famine,  defeat,  pesti¬ 
lence;  the  three  captive  kings  of  Judah — Jehoiakim,  Jehoi- 
achin,  and  Zedekiah. 

316.  What  are  the  trinities  of  the  restoration  era  ? 

The  three  books  which  treat  of  the  era  itself — Ezra,  Nehe¬ 
miah,  and  Esther ;  the  three  leading  men  in  the  restoration 
— Zerubbabel,  Ezra,  and  Nehemiah  ;  the  three  prophets  of 
the  restoration — Haggai,  Zechariali,  and  Malachi ;  the  three 
obstructionists  in  Nehemiah — Sanballat  the  Horonite,  Tobiah 
the  Ammonite,  and  Geshem  the  Arabian. 

317.  What  are  the  trinities  in  Job  ? 

The  patriarch’s  three  friends — Eliphaz  the  Temanite, 
Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and  Zophar  the  Naamathite ;  the  three 
animals  in  Job — the  Arabian  war-horse,  the  behemoth,  and 
the  leviathan  ;  Job’s  three  daughters,  born  to  him  after  his 
affliction — Jemima,  Kezia,  and  Karen-happuch. 

318.  What  are  the  names  of  the  three  Hebrew  prophetesses  ? 

Miriam,  Deborah,  and  Huldah. 

319.  What  three  children  of  the  prophet  Hosea  had  their 
names  given  to  them  by  God  Himself? 

Jezreel,  Lo-ruhamah,  and  Lo-ammi. 

320.  What  three  persons  were  raised  from  the  dead  in  the 
Old  Testament? 

The  son  of  the  widow  of  Zarephath  (by  Elijah),  that  of 
the  Shunammite  woman  (by  Elisha),  and  the  man  who  re¬ 
vived  and  stood  upon  his  feet  when  he  was  let  down  into 
the  sepulchre  of  Elisha  and  touched  the  bones  of  the 
prophet. 

321.  What  three  persons  did  our  Lord  raise  from  the 
dead  ? 

Jairus’  daughter,  the  son  of  the  widow  of  Nain,  and  His 
friend  Lazarus,  the  brother  of  Martha  and  Mary. 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


G3 


322.  Who,  besides  the  prophet  himself,  were  the  three  heroes 
in  Daniel  ? 

Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego,  who  were  cast  into 
the  burning  fiery  furnace  because  they  refused  to  worship 
the  golden  image  which  Nebuchadnezzar  the  king  had  set 
up. 

323.  Who  were  the  three  children  besides  Jesus  whose 
names  were  alike  foretold  ? 

Isaac,  Ishmael,  and  John  the  Baptizer. 

321}.  Which  are  the  three  synoptic  gospels  ? 

Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke. 

325.  What  are  three  important  scenes  in  the  early  life  of 
Jesus ? 

His  flight  into  Egypt,  His  presentation  in  the  temple,  and 
His  appearance  among  the  doctors. 

326.  Who  were  the  three  favorite  disciples  of  Jesus? 

Peter,  James,  and  John. 

327.  W  hat  were  the  three  most  dramatic  scenes  in  the  life 
of  Jesus? 

His  transfiguration,  His  crucifixion,  and  His  ascension. 

328.  What  were  the  three  principal  sects  among  the  Jews 
in  the  time  of  Christ? 

The  Pharisees,  the  Sadducees,  and  the  Herodians. 

329.  Who  are  the  three  leading  characters  in  the  Acts 
whose  names  begin  with  P? 

Peter  the  preacher,  Philip  the  evangelist,  and  Paul  the 
missionary — Peter,  Philip,  and  Paul. 

330.  What  are  three  marked  periods  in  the  life  of  the 
apostle  Paid  ? 

His  persecution  of  Christ,  his  conversion  to  Christ,  and 
his  labors  and  sufferings  for  Christ. 

331.  What  were  the  three  most  exciting  episodes  in  the  life 
of  the  apostle  Paid  ? 

His  address  to  the  Athenians  on  Mars’  Hill,  his  address 
to  the  excited  Jews  from  the  steps  of  the  castle  of  Antonia 


64 


3  0112 


058381606 


THE  BIBLE  CATECHIST. 


at  Jerusalem,  and  his  address  before  Agrippa  in  his  own 
defence. 

332.  What  ivere  the  three  capitals  associated  with  the  Apos¬ 
tolic  Church? 

Jerusalem,  Antioch  in  Syria,  and  Ephesus  in  Asia  Minor. 

333.  Who  are  three  military  men  mentioned  in  the  Acts  ? 

Cornelius,  Lysias,  and  Julius — Roman  centurions. 

33Jf.  Who  are  the  three  most  famous  women  of  the  Apos¬ 
tolic  Church  ? 

Dorcas,  a  woman  of  Joppa,  full  of  good  wTords  and  alms- 
deeds  which  she  did,  and  whom  the  apostle  Peter  raised 
from  the  dead ;  Phebe,  who  was  a  servant  of  the  church 
wrhich  was  at  Cenchrea ;  and  Priscilla,  who  was  a  helper  of 
the  apostle  Paul. 

335.  What  are  the  five  trinities  of  the  apostle  Paul  ? 

His  threefold  benediction — grace,  mercy,  and  peace ;  his 
three  chief  graces — faith,  hope,  and  charity  ;  his  three  parts 
of  human  personality — body,  soul,  and  spirit ;  this  three  de¬ 
serters — Phygellus,  Hermogenes,  and  Demas;  his  three 
opposers — Demetrius  the  silversmith,  Alexander  the  cop¬ 
persmith,  and  Satan  the  great  adversary. 

336.  What  are  the  trinities  in  James  ? 

The  three  steps  to  ruin — lust,  sin,  death ;  the  three  attri¬ 
butes  of  worldly  wisdom — earthly,  sensual,  devilish. 

337.  What  were  the  three  political  divisions  of  the  Holy 
Land  in  the  time  of  Christ? 

Judea,  Samaria,  and  Galilee — the  southern,  central,  and 
northern  division. 

338.  What  were  the  three  cities  of  Jesus  ? 

Bethlehem,  where  He  was  born  ;  Nazareth,  vrhere  He  was 

brought  up  ;  and  Capernaum,  where  most  of  His  mighty 
works  were  done.  * 


